A man was tackled to the ground and detained after he sprayed an unknown substance at Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening, video footage shows. The congresswoman was unharmed and continued her remarks.
Omar — a Minnesota Democrat who is frequently singled out for derision by President Donald Trump — was addressing a crowded room when the incident occurred.
After she criticized the president's immigration crackdown in her state and called on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to resign, a man near the front rushed to the lectern. He shouted at the congresswoman and doused her with an unknown material.
Soon after, the man was tackled to the ground and detained.
open image in gallery“Oh my god, he sprayed something on her!” a woman can be heard saying in a video of the incident. Another urged her to seek medical attention.
Omar seemed to resist efforts to move her offstage to safety. She returned to the microphone and said, “We’re going to keep talking… Please don’t let them have a show.”
“Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand: We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us,” she added. She then reiterated her call for Noem to resign — as dozens of other Democratic lawmakers have done in recent days.
About an hour later, Omar's office issued a statement condemning the man and confirming she was not injured.
“During her town hall, an agitator tried to attack the Congresswoman by spraying an unknown substance with a syringe,” the statement said. “Security and the Minneapolis Police Department quickly apprehended the individual. He is now in custody. The Congresswoman is okay. She continued with her town hall because she doesn’t let bullies win.”
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open image in galleryThe incident comes weeks after the Trump administration deployed numerous federal immigration agents to Minnesota, resulting in several deadly shootings.
On January 7, Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in her vehicle. Three weeks later, on January 24, immigration officials killed Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, during a confrontation on a city street.
The shootings sparked widespread anti-ICE protests in the state, and around the nation, leading to tense stand-offs between demonstrators and officers.
State and local officials are demanding that federal agents withdraw from Minnesota, accusing them of reckless behavior and an unconstitutional "invasion." Meanwhile, the Trump administration has vowed to ramp up its immigration enforcement while blaming Democrats for inciting anti-law-enforcement sentiment.
On Monday, Trump said he spoke with Democratic Governor Tim Walz about the unfolding situation in Minnesota. He described it as “a very good call,” and said, “we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength.” He added that he is sending border czar Tom Homan to the state.
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