Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar targeted with liquid at town hall - VIDEO
Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar was attacked with an unknown substance during a town hall she was hosting on Tuesday, after an audience member used a syringe to spray liquid at her, Minneapolis police said.
Omar was not injured and continued speaking following the incident, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
Police said the man was immediately arrested and forensic teams were conducting tests at the scene.
“I thought it was one of her aides going up to hand her a note or something,” attendee Jacquelynn Goessling said, describing the moment the man sprayed liquid with an acrid smell that spread through the front of the room.
In a statement posted on X, Omar said: “I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win.” After the disruption, she told the audience that “we will continue… we are Minnesota strong.”
Another attendee, Alfred Flowers Jr., told the BBC that he “respected her courage and strength to still stay and finish the town hall for the people.”
Video from the scene showed staff members shouting “make a hole” as they wrestled the man out of the room. As he was being removed, the man said Omar was “pitting us against each other,” though it was not immediately clear what he meant.
The liquid sprayed on Omar had a sour smell similar to that of a chemical product.
In a social media post, Jacob Frey condemned the incident, saying: “Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis. We can disagree without putting people at risk… This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city.”
Omar made history in 2019 as the first Somali-American, the first African-born American, and one of the first two Muslim American women elected to the US Congress.
The town hall was one of Omar’s regular public events and was attended by about 100 people in a basement venue in north Minneapolis. Participants were expecting discussion on the presence of federal immigration officials in the area and to ask questions following the second fatal shooting of a US citizen by immigration officials this month.
In January, immigration officer actions resulted in the fatal shooting of US citizen Renee Good. Last week, US citizen Alex Pretti was fatally shot after being stopped by border agents, incidents that reignited protests and public anger locally.
During the town hall, Omar called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished and said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should “resign or face impeachment.” The attack occurred shortly after these remarks.
Officials urged Omar to end the event, but she insisted on continuing. Returning to the podium, she told the crowd: “We’re gonna keep talking. Just give me ten minutes. Please don’t let them have the show. Please don’t let them have the show.”
Many residents view the recent intensification of immigration enforcement as linked to President Donald Trump’s criticism of Omar, whom he has previously labeled a “radical left lunatic.” On Tuesday, responding to the second fatal shooting, Trump said his administration was “going to de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota.
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