Minneapolis police in the U.S. arrested a man who approached Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and sprayed an unknown liquid on her during a town hall event while she was delivering a speech criticizing immigration enforcement agencies. Omar was unharmed and continued the event until it ended.
The incident occurred last Tuesday (27 Jan) during a town hall event organized by U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, attended by about 100 people. She was criticizing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency following an incident where officers fatally shot two U.S. citizens in the area.
Witnesses reported that while Omar was calling for the abolition of ICE and stating that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should resign or face impeachment, a man sitting in the front row stood up, rushed toward her, sprayed an unknown liquid from a syringe-like container on her, and shouted, "You should be the one to resign."
Immediately after the incident, security staff quickly subdued the man. Although the liquid had a strong ammonia-like smell and caused throat irritation, Omar refused hospital treatment as advised by her aide. She only requested tissues to wipe herself and a short break before returning to continue her speech until the event concluded.
On stage, Omar said, "We will continue our discussion; I need ten minutes. Let's not give these people the attention they seek." She added, "I learned from childhood that we must not yield to threats," amid applause, saying, "You have to face them and stand firm."
Minneapolis police arrested the man on third-degree assault charges while forensic units collected evidence and analyzed the substance sprayed.
Ilhan Omar, 43, is the first American Muslim woman of Somali descent in Congress and has frequently been a target of severe political attacks from former President Donald Trump, who called her "trash" during a Cabinet meeting in December.
U.S. Capitol Police revealed alarming data showing that in 2025, cases involving threats against politicians have risen for the third consecutive year, increasing nearly 58% from 2024. Investigations into threats and harassment against members of Congress and their families totaled over 14,938 cases, up from 9,474 the previous year.