MINNEAPOLIS: Police arrested a man who sprayed Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar with a foul-smelling liquid in Minneapolis on Tuesday as she condemned the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Minnesota.
Omar, a frequent target of political insults from President Donald Trump, was unharmed.
A security guard immediately grabbed the man and threw him to the ground, according to a Reuters witness and a video of the event at city hall.
Police said they arrested the man for third-degree assault.
In her comments, Omar criticized ICE and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, demanding that Noem resign after the recent shooting deaths of two American citizens in Minneapolis during Trump's immigration enforcement surge.
“ICE cannot be reformed, it cannot be rehabilitated, we must abolish ICE forever and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment,” Omar said, to applause.
Moments later, a man sitting in the front row approached her and sprayed her with the contents of what police described as a syringe, telling Omar: “You must resign.”
Omar, defiant, took a few steps towards him, hand raised, before he was overpowered.
He continued his comments after a brief break, resisting his associates' insistence that he seek medical attention, saying he just needed a napkin. His office later issued a statement saying he was fine.
Forensic scientists were gathering evidence at the scene, Minneapolis police said in a statement.
TO Reuters A witness said the liquid smelled like ammonia and caused mild throat irritation.
“I learned from a young age that you don't give in to threats,” Omar told the audience, after refusing to suspend the event. “You look them in the face and you stand your ground.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked Omar in public comments and social media posts, and has also taken aim at her Somali nationality.
“Ilhan Omar is trash,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting in December. “She's trash. Her friends are trash.”
Omar, 43, came to the United States when he was 12 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000.
On Tuesday, the US Capitol Police said its threat assessment cases increased in 2025 for the third year in a row, up nearly 58% from 2024.
In 2025, it investigated 14,938 cases of statements, behavior and communications directed against members of Congress, their families, staff and the Capitol complex, it added, up from 9,474 in 2024.
