MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was targeted during a town hall in Minneapolis when a man rushed the front row and sprayed an unidentified liquid at her from a syringe before being tackled by security, her office said. The man was taken into custody by Minneapolis police as Omar resumed her remarks, telling the audience, “We will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw on us.”
The confrontation erupted moments after the Minnesota Democrat called for a hard break from the Trump administration’s immigration policies. “ICE cannot be reformed, it cannot be rehabilitated. We must abolish ICE for good,” she said to applause. “And (Department of Homeland Security) Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment.”
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As security moved in, the man made a remark and sprayed Omar, according to attendees. Omar raised a fist and briefly stepped toward him before returning to the podium, where she continued speaking despite expletives in the crowd and her team’s pleas to halt the event. Security escorted the man out as the audience settled.
Omar’s office confirmed the suspect was in police custody. No additional details were immediately available about the liquid or a possible motive. There were no immediate updates on injuries.
The town hall came amid rising tension in Minneapolis, where two U.S. citizens have been killed this month in a violent anti-immigration crackdown involving thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, provoking growing unrest.
Omar, a frequent target of attacks by former President Donald Trump, was singled out earlier in the day when Trump criticized her and Somalia during a speech in Iowa, saying the Mogadishu-born lawmaker “comes from a country that’s a disaster.”
Trump has ordered 143 strikes against Somalia in his second term and pulled back diplomatic relations, including recently stopping humanitarian aid, according to U.S. think tank New America.
In Minneapolis, Omar framed the immigration debate as a test of democratic resilience. “Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand,” she told the crowd after the incident. “We are Minnesota strong.”
Police have not released the suspect’s name. The investigation is ongoing.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
