A bipartisan group of 105 US lawmakers has urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate an attempted shooting at a Hindu temple in Illinois as a potential federal hate crime, citing growing concerns over online hostility towards Indian-Americans and other South Asian communities.Led by Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, the lawmakers wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel seeking clarity on the investigation into the October 11 incident at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Hindu temple in Aurora, where Krishnamoorthi and his family were worshipping when the alleged attack took place.According to prosecutors, 19-year-old Alexandros Paporakis, who reportedly identified himself as a neo-Nazi, attempted to shoot a man outside the temple, but his rifle jammed. He fled the scene and allegedly communicated plans to return before a co-worker alerted the police. He was arrested later that day.Investigators allege that Paporakis authored an eight-page white supremacist manifesto describing violence against people of Indian descent at a Hindu place of worship. A rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, body armour and white supremacist imagery were recovered, according to the lawmakers’ statement.The letter, signed by the entire Illinois House Democratic delegation, all Indian-American members of Congress and Senators Dick Durbin, Tammy Duckworth, Andy Kim and Chris Van Hollen, calls for a comprehensive federal response to what the lawmakers describe as a combination of racial hatred, a religious setting and preparations for mass violence.The lawmakers acknowledged the FBI’s reported assistance to local investigators but urged the agency to ensure that possible hate-crime violations received explicit attention.They have asked the FBI to clarify whether it is examining racial, ethnic and religious bias in the case, whether online platforms or other individuals may have facilitated the alleged plot, and whether the bureau is coordinating with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the relevant US Attorney’s Office.The lawmakers have also sought details of FBI efforts to assess credible online threats against Indian Americans, Hindu Americans, Sikhs and other South Asian communities, as well as measures to share actionable threat information with local police and potentially targeted places of worship. They requested a written response by October 29, subject to the constraints of the ongoing investigation.The appeal comes against the backdrop of rising online hostility towards South Asians. The letter cites a September 2026 report that identified more than 542,000 hateful anti-South Asian posts on X between January 2025 and June 2026, with monthly volume rising about 240 per cent between January 2024 and June 2026.It also refers to a Carnegie Endowment survey in which 48 per cent of Indian-American respondents said they had encountered racist posts targeting their community very or somewhat often since the beginning of 2025. One in four respondents said they had been called a slur.The lawmakers expressed concern over social media messaging by Trump administration agencies that they said risked reinforcing racial and religious stereotypes. They cited a Department of Homeland Security post depicting a Sikh man alongside the message, “Get off our roads, you don’t know how to drive Mr. Singh”, and a Department of Education post declaring “Make College Football Great Again” after a Texas Republican complained about South Asians attending a University of Texas football game.“Debates over immigration or public safety never justify collective suspicion of Indian, Sikh, Hindu, or other South Asian communities,” the lawmakers said, warning that such messaging risked lending government legitimacy to racial and religious stereotyping.They stressed that the FBI must distinguish protected expression, including offensive speech, from credible threats and conduct warranting investigation, while ensuring that affected communities and places of worship receive appropriate protection.“No one should fear being targeted because of their ancestry, appearance, or faith,” the lawmakers said, urging the FBI to pursue all applicable offences and explain the steps being taken to protect the communities concerned.