State Rep. Sharon MacDonell called on residents to reject religious bigotry and expressed support for Troy’s Hindu and Indian American community following an alleged mass-shooting plot targeting an Illinois temple.
MacDonell, a Democrat who represents Troy, issued an Oct. 16 statement after authorities arrested Alexandros Paporakis, 19, of Palatine, Illinois.
She said the news had frightened Michigan residents and pledged to defend their right to practice their faith safely.
“Let me be clear: religious bigotry and racism, including anti-Hindu and anti-Indian prejudice, are unacceptable in all their forms,” MacDonell said.
Paporakis faces felony charges of making a terrorist threat and unlawfully possessing a rifle, the Associated Press reported through WTTW. Authorities identified the target as Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois.
Police said a vehicle registered to Paporakis entered the temple’s parking lot Sunday, Oct. 11, and left within 15 minutes. Prosecutors said he later told a co-worker his rifle had jammed.
Co-workers alerted police, who arrested him that day. Investigators reported finding a rifle without a serial number, ammunition and Nazi imagery at his home. Prosecutors also described a document expressing white supremacist beliefs and plans for violence.
A judge ordered Paporakis detained Oct. 14. His next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30. His public defenders emphasized that “statements made by police and prosecutors are only allegations,” AP reported.
The temple increased armed security. U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said he was there Oct. 11 and requested a federal hate-crime investigation.
Troy is home to Bharatiya Temple, whose origins date to 1975, according to its history page. A city proclamation recognized its 50th anniversary in July 2025.
MacDonell previously highlighted her district’s Indian and Chinese American communities in a May 2025 statement announcing a resolution seeking to censure state Rep. Josh Schriver over remarks she condemned as racist.
In her latest statement, MacDonell urged residents to unite against white supremacy.
