By HAN News Desk
MINNEAPOLIS — U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota was attacked with an unknown liquid on Tuesday evening while addressing a public gathering in Minneapolis, according to her office and local authorities.
Omar, a Democrat, was speaking to constituents about the Trump administration’s strict immigration policies and actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security when an unidentified man rushed toward the stage and sprayed her with a liquid substance. Witnesses said the liquid had a strong odor.
Security personnel at the event quickly intervened and restrained the suspect. Authorities said Omar was not injured in the incident.
The attack occurred as Omar was sharply criticizing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and calling for her removal from office or the initiation of legal proceedings against her.
Despite the disruption, Omar later returned to the podium and continued her speech, even as some people nearby urged her to leave the venue so her condition could be checked.
In a statement, Omar’s office said security staff and officers from the Minneapolis Police Department promptly detained the suspect, who is now in government custody.
“I am OK. I am someone who has survived far worse, and this small act will not stop me from doing my job. I will not allow intimidation to succeed,” Omar wrote in a post on X following the incident.
Police said the suspect was immediately arrested and has been charged with third-degree assault. Investigators confirmed that Omar sustained no injuries and that forensic teams were examining the scene, according to U.S. media reports.
The incident came just hours after former President Donald Trump criticized Omar during an event in Iowa, where he made derogatory remarks about Somalia, her country of origin, referring to it as a “failed state.”
Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to the U.S. Congress, has frequently been a target of threats and harassment, particularly in connection with her outspoken positions on immigration, foreign policy, and civil rights.
