We danced garba, performed aarti, witnessed Sindoor Khela, and honored the Goddess Durga,” he said in a post on X.Acknowledging the attempted mass shooting attempt at a Hindu temple in Illinois last week, Mamdani said it was an “honour” to come together in joy, faith, and community in temples across the city. He urged communities to stand against hate and care for one another.“It was an honour to come together in joy, faith, and community in temples across our city — especially after the attempted mass shooting 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.”In pictures and videos shared by Mamdani and social media users, he can be seen participating in garba with members of the Indian diaspora community and joining prayers and other festive rituals at temples.Shooting attempt at Hindu temple in IllinoisHis remarks come after an alleged mass-shooting plot at a Hindu temple in Illinois. Nineteen-year old Alexandros Paporakis was arrested on October 11.A cashier at Taco Bell from Palatine, Illinois, allegedly told one of his co-workers that Sunday was going to be “a special day.” He has been charged with one count of making a terrorist threat and one count of unlawful possession of weapons.Investigators allege that Paporakis planned to target Indians at the Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) Temple in Aurora, located about 65 km west of downtown Chicago.

He focused on the temple for around two months, according to prosecutors.Prosecutors also alleged that Paporakis attempted to carry out the attack on October 11 but his rifle malfunctioned when he tried to shoot a man from a car. Paporakis called one coworker earlier in the day Sunday, saying that his gun had jammed and he left “super fast” without being seen, the Associated Press reported.Paporakis openly identified as a white supremacist at work and told them he couldn’t wait to kill Indian people, prosecutors from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office were quoted as saying in an AP report.In an eight-page document sent by Paporakis to his co-worker, he described Indian, Jewish and African American people as “subhumans” and outlined a plot to kill as many of them as possible, according to a court document cited by The Associated Press.When he turned up at the temple, it was filled with people while he was planning to “kill a significant number of Indians," NBC Chicago quoted a police official as saying.Karishma Ayaldasani is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi, where she works with the digital team on fast-moving breaking stories from India and around the world.

She enjoys covering national and global news, focusing on delivering updates quickly and clearly so readers can make sense of what’s happening as it unfolds. Comfortable in high-pressure newsroom settings, she regularly contributes to live blogs, explainers and real-time coverage.

Before joining Hindustan Times, she was part of the digital team at The Indian Express, worked with the social media team at Firstpost, and spent time as a creative strategist at Clematis Advertising. Outside of work, she likes exploring different art forms and unwinds with music.

With over three years of experience in fast-paced newsrooms, she brings curiosity, clarity and consistency to her work.Read MoreNew YorkZohran MamdaniGet the latest World News, breaking headlines and global updates from the US, UK, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia and other countries. Follow major international events on Hindustan Times.