A man sprayed an unknown substance at U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and was tackled to the ground Tuesday during a town hall meeting she was hosting in Minneapolis, where tensions over federal immigration enforcement reached a fever pitch after agents were shot and killed. an intensive care nurse And a mother of three children this month.
The audience cheered as the man, who was wearing a black jacket, was pinned down and his arms tied behind his back. In video of the incident, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, “Oh my God, he sprayed something on her.”
Just before that, Omar called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“ICE cannot be reformed,” Omar said.
Minneapolis police said officers saw a man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid on Omar. They immediately arrested him and booked him into the county jail on charges of third-degree assault, spokesman Trevor Folke said in an email. Police also said medical examiners responded to the scene.
Omar continued her visit to the town hall for about 25 more minutes after the man was taken out of the room by her security guards, saying she would not be intimidated.
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unknown substance by a man during a Minneapolis town hall meeting she was hosting Tuesday evening. The incident comes amid growing tensions in Minnesota following two fatal shootings by federal immigration agents this month.
There was a strong smell of vinegar when the man pushed the syringe, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. Photos of the device, which fell to the ground when it was slammed, showed brown liquid inside. Officials have not yet clarified what it was.
Minneapolis County. LaTrisha Vetaw said some of the substance also came into contact with her and State Sen. Bobby Joe Champion. She called it a deeply disturbing experience.
As she left afterwards, Omar said she felt a little troubled but was not hurt. She was going to be examined by a medical team.
“I don’t let bullies win”
She later posted on the social platform
The White House did not immediately respond to a message from the AP seeking comment.
US President Donald Trump has frequently criticized the Democratic congresswoman and increased verbal attacks against her in recent months as he focused on Minneapolis.
During a council of ministers in December, he called her “rubbish” and added that “his friends are rubbish.”
Hours earlier Tuesday, the president criticized Omar while speaking to a crowd in Iowa, saying his administration would only allow in immigrants who “can show they love our country.”
“They must be proud, not like Ilhan Omar,” he said, drawing loud boos at the mention of his name.
He added: “She comes from a country that is a disaster. So probably it’s considered, I think, that it’s not even a country.”
Omar is an American citizen who fled her birthplace of Somalia with her family at the age of eight as civil war tore the country apart.
The Minneapolis-St. The Paul region is home to approximately 84,000 people of Somali descent, nearly a third of the Somalis living in the United States.
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz expressed gratitude for Omar’s safety, adding in a post on
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, denounced the attack.
“I am deeply disturbed to learn that Congressman Ilhan Omar was attacked today at a town hall,” Mace said via social platform X.
“Even if I disagree with his rhetoric – and I do – no elected official should be subject to physical attacks. That’s not who we are.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, also condemned the attack on X, saying: “Unacceptable. Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis. We can disagree without putting people in danger.”
He added that he was relieved that Omar was “doing well” and thanked police for their quick response, concluding: “This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city.”
The attack on Omar took place a few days later a man was arrested in Utah for allegedly punching Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, in the face during the Sundance Film Festival and saying Trump was going to expel him.
Threats against members of Congress have increased in recent years, peaking in 2021 and the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, before declining slightly and rising again, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Capitol Police.
The U.S. Capitol Police said they investigated nearly 15,000 people regarding statements or communications involving members of Congress, their families and staff members in 2025.
Lawmakers spoke of the chill these threats put on their ability to hold town halls and public events, with some even citing them in their decision not to run again.
Following Omar’s assault, Capitol Police said in a statement that the agency was “working with our federal partners to ensure this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this type of violence in our society.”
Minneapolis has been reeling from the fatal shootings of two residents by federal immigration agents this month during a massive wave of federal immigration enforcement.
Intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretti was killed Saturday, less than three weeks after Renee Good was fatally shot while driving her vehicle.
