Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was struck with an unidentified liquid at a town hall meeting she was leading on Tuesday, when a member of the audience employed a syringe to spray her, according to Minneapolis police.
Omar was unharmed and continued her remarks. The assailant was swiftly apprehended, with forensic work taking place at the location, police noted.
“I assumed it was one of her staff members approaching her to deliver a message or something,” Jacquelynn Goessling recounted regarding the man who attacked Omar with the liquid, the pungent odor of which filled the front area of the room.
In a post on X, Omar expressed: “I’m alright. I’ve survived tougher situations, so this minor agitator won’t deter me from my duties. I refuse to let bullies prevail.”
Following the incident, Omar, a Democrat, reassured the audience saying, “we will persist… we are strong Minnesotans”.
Another participant, Alfred Flowers Jr, remarked to the BBC that he “admired her bravery and resilience to remain and conclude the town hall for the constituents”.
Footage from the scene depicted the team shouting “make way” while they extracted the assailant from the room.
As he was forced out, he claimed that Omar was “setting us against one another”. It was not immediately evident whom the man was alluding to.
The substance he sprayed had a sour scent reminiscent of a chemical product, as reported by a BBC journalist present.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey commented on social media, stating: “Violence and intimidation are unacceptable in Minneapolis. We can disagree without endangering others… Such behavior will not be condoned in our city.”
In 2019, Omar became the first Somali-American, the first African-born American, and among the first two Muslim American women to be elected to the US Congress.
The gathering was a regular town hall session led by Omar, with approximately 100 attendees in the north Minneapolis basement, ready to discuss the involvement of federal immigration officials in their community and raise questions following the second fatal shooting of a citizen by immigration agents this month.
In January, a federal immigration officer fatally shot US citizen Renee Good. Just last week, US citizen Alex Pretti was killed following a stop by border patrol agents, sparking renewed local protests and public outcry.
During the town hall, Omar demanded the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and declared that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem should “resign or face impeachment”. This was after these statements that the assault occurred.
Officials urged the Congresswoman to halt the town hall proceedings, but she was resolute about continuing.
From the podium, Omar reaffirmed: “We’re going to keep communicating. Just give me ten more minutes. Please don’t allow them to take over the moment. Please don’t let them have the show.”
Many locals interpret the heightened enforcement of immigration as a reaction to President Donald Trump’s animosity towards Omar, whom he has labeled a “radical left lunatic” and “disgusting”.
On 18 January, Trump posted on Truth Social that Omar “should be in jail, or face an even harsher sentence, sent back to Somalia, which is often regarded as one of the worst countries globally. She could help MAKE SOMALIA GREAT AGAIN!”
Minnesota hosts the largest community of Somali immigrants in the United States.
In response to the second deadly shooting on Tuesday, Trump stated his administration was “going to de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota.
Additional reporting by Kristina Volk.
