New Delhi: India on Thursday (October 15) said it was “deeply concerned” by reports of an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois, saying the incident added to “growing concerns over racist hostility and anti-India hate in the US”.“We are deeply concerned by reports of an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting targeting a Hindu temple in the Aurora area of Illinois,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday. “The reported anti-Hindu and racist nature of the alleged plot, including references to violence against people of Indian origin, is particularly disturbing.”The MEA said it had taken note of the action by US law enforcement authorities, including the arrest and detention of the suspect and the charges brought against him.“This incident adds to growing concerns over racist hostility and anti-India hate in the US. There is a need for greater vigilance, zero tolerance for hate-motivated violence and decisive action to ensure the safety and security of the Indian community,” he said.India, the senior Indian diplomat said, expects “US authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter, bring those responsible to justice, and take all necessary measures to prevent such incidents.Earlier, the Consulate General of India in Chicago posted that it was aware of reports concerning a foiled attempt to target a place of worship in Aurora and appreciated the “timely action” taken by law enforcement authorities. “We are in touch with members of the Indian diaspora and are closely monitoring developments,” it said.The statement followed the arrest of Alexandros Paporakis of Palatine, Illinois, who was ordered detained by a Cook County judge on Wednesday. He faces charges of making a terrorist threat, a Class X felony, and unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported the allegations based on police statements. The Daily Herald reported that he faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted and that officials said additional charges were possiblePalatine Police Chief William Nord said investigators believed Paporakis might have been planning an attack for Sunday, October 11, potentially targeting a Hindu place of worship in the Aurora area. The specific intended location has not been confirmed and remains under investigation.“The seriousness of this alleged threat cannot be overstated,” Nord said in announcing the arrest on Wednesday.According to Palatine police, as reported by the Herald, the Mount Prospect Police Department contacted them shortly after 3.30 pm on Sunday about a person who had reported receiving “concerning” electronic communications from Paporakis, after which Palatine police were informed of a possible mass shooting.Investigators said he had shared a document outlining an alleged plan for a mass shooting, along with images of a rifle, magazines, body armour and other tactical equipment. Police arrested him as he was leaving his residence that evening.A subsequent search of his home uncovered a rifle, multiple loaded magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, tactical equipment and a vest containing body armour. Investigators also recovered a patch displaying imagery associated with white supremacist extremism, according to Nord.With assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, detectives examined electronic communications and a document attributed to Paporakis titled “Why I Fought: A.K.A.: (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto)”. Police said it contained white supremacist and extremist statements, including references to violence against people of South Asian heritage, particularly those of Indian descent.The Aurora Police Department also assisted in the investigation and reached out to Hindu places of worship in its jurisdiction to make them aware of the threat, according to Palatine police. “Protecting our communities and places of worship remains a priority, and we will continue working with our law enforcement partners as this investigation moves forward,” Nord said.The alleged plot comes amid mounting concern over documented rise in online hostility directed at South Asians in the United States, including Indian Americans, during President Donald Trump’s second term.A report published on September 28 by the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate found that approximately 542,360 posts expressing anti-South Asian hate appeared on X between January 2025 and June 2026. The monthly volume was 75 percent higher in June 2026 than in January 2025, while the number of such posts rose 60 percent between 2024 and 2025.The study examined hate targeting people of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and other South Asian backgrounds across X and the fringe platforms 4chan, 8chan and Gab. It identified racist and xenophobic political rhetoric, anti-immigration sentiment, economic resentment and the amplification of hate on social media as contributing factors.It also documented attacks on religious practices and communities, including Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. “Visibly Muslim South Asians have similarly faced hate motivated by both Islamophobia and resentment of South Asians. Hindus in cities such as Frisco, Texas have been singled out for attacks on the basis of their religion, with racist hostility provoked by the presence of temples, statues of deities, and religious or cultural festivals”.The authors argued that online hostility was increasingly difficult to separate from offline harassment and violence. “Online and offline hate can reinforce one another as narratives, stereotypes, and forms of demonisation move between digital platforms, political discourse, media, and everyday life,” the report said.The study linked the rise in anti-South Asian hate to the political environment following Trump’s return to office in January 2025, including the administration’s immigration policies and rhetoric. It said the actions and rhetoric of the state had contributed to a climate in which “racist hostility against South Asians is sanctioned and approved as patriotic sentiment”.Recently, US Vice President J.D. Vance described foreign workers as “indentured servants” while announcing the suspension of major IT firms from the green card (PERM) programme. This led to a rare rebuke from the Ministry of External Affairs, which said that the use of the terminology carried “painful historical and colonial legacy connotations” and was “deeply offensive”.A separate survey of Indian Americans by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, published in February, also found that a significant proportion of the community had experienced racial hostility since the beginning of 2025.“Since the start of 2025, one in four respondents have been called a slur,” the survey said.The nationally representative online survey of 1,000 Indian American adults, conducted between November 25, 2025, and January 6, 2026, found that 9% of respondents had been physically threatened, 8% had received hate mail, 6% had experienced property damage and 4% had been physically assaulted.The survey also found that fears of discrimination were affecting how Indian Americans participated in public life. Nearly one-third of respondents, or 31%, said they had avoided discussing or engaging with politics on social media because they feared racism or discrimination directed at Indians or Indian Americans.