‘Stand against hate’: Mamdani celebrates Navratri with Hindu New Yorkers after Illinois temple shooting plot

NYC Mayor Mamdani celebrates Navratri with Hindu New Yorkers.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has joined Hindu New Yorkers in Queens to celebrate Navratri, Durga Puja, Dashain and Vijayadashami, calling the experience a blessing and urging communities to stand against hate following an alleged shooting plot targeting a Hindu temple in Illinois.In a post on X, Mamdani said he participated in garba, witnessed Sindoor Khela and joined aarti ceremonies as he celebrated the festivals with members of the Hindu community.“This week, I was blessed to join Hindu New Yorkers in Queens celebrating Navratri, Durga Puja, Dashain, and Vijayadashami,” he wrote.Sharing pictures and videos of the celebrations, Mamdani said it was an honour to come together in temples across the city in a spirit of faith, joy and community, particularly after the attempted attack at a Hindu temple in Illinois last week.“May we all join together in our shared responsibility to stand against hate and care for one another,” he added, ending his message with “Jai Mata Ki”.

What happened in the Illinois temple shooting plot?

Mamdani’s remarks come after the arrest of 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis on October 11 over an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, Illinois, around 65 km west of downtown Chicago.Paporakis, a Taco Bell cashier from Palatine, Illinois, has been charged with one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of weapons.According to prosecutors, he had focused on the temple for around two months and allegedly planned to target Indians. Investigators allege that he attempted to carry out the attack on October 11, but his rifle malfunctioned when he tried to shoot a man from a car.The Associated Press reported that Paporakis later told a co-worker that his gun had jammed and that he had left the scene quickly without being seen.Prosecutors from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office also alleged that Paporakis had openly identified as a white supremacist at work and expressed a desire to kill Indian people.According to an eight-page document he allegedly sent to a co-worker, Paporakis described Indian, Jewish and African American people as “subhumans” and outlined a plan to kill as many of them as possible, the AP reported.NBC Chicago quoted a police official as saying that the temple was filled with people when Paporakis arrived, while he allegedly intended to “kill a significant number of Indians”.The case has raised concerns over hate-motivated violence targeting religious communities, with Mamdani using his message to call for solidarity and collective action against hate.