1 min readUpdated: Oct 15, 2026 02:58 PM ISTVenkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora has been widely identified in reports as a possible target.India has expressed concern over an alleged plot to carry out a mass shooting targeting a Hindu temple in the Aurora area of Illinois, with Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal calling for a thorough investigation and stronger measures to protect the Indian community in the United States.“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. The reported anti-Hindu and racist nature of the alleged plot, including references to violence against people of Indian origin, is particularly disturbing,” he said.“We have taken note of the action taken by US law enforcement authorities, including the arrest and detention of the suspect and the charges brought against him,” Jaiswal added.This is a developing story. Please refresh periodically for more updates.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdShubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 27 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting and writing explainers and analysis on foreign affairs for about 19 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He won the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award, 2023, for the second time for his reporting of the Oct 7 attacks on Israel and the war in Gaza. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More AdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementAdvertisement