Ilhan Omar Targeted with Stinky Spray in Minneapolis

Select Language:

A man shouts at U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) after spraying her, during a town hall meeting days after a man identified as Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal immigration agents attempting to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 27, 2026. — Reuters

MINNEAPOLIS: Authorities detained a man Tuesday in Minneapolis after he sprayed a foul-smelling liquid at Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar as she denounced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in Minnesota.

Omar, who often faces political insults from President Donald Trump, remained unharmed.

According to a Reuters observer and footage from the event, a security guard quickly restrained the individual and brought him to the ground.

The police reported that the man was taken into custody on third-degree assault charges.

During her speech, Omar criticized ICE and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, demanding her resignation following the recent shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis amid Trump’s crackdown on immigration.

“ICE is beyond reform; it needs to be abolished entirely. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem should resign or face impeachment,” Omar declared to applause.

Shortly afterward, a man seated in the front shouter approached her and sprayed what police described as a syringe’s contents onto Omar, telling her, “You must resign.”

Omar stepped toward him defiantly with her hand raised before security subdued him.

After a brief pause, she resumed her remarks, declining medical aid, saying she just needed a napkin. Her office later confirmed she was fine.

Minneapolis police said forensic teams collected evidence at the scene.

A Reuters witness noted the liquid had an ammonia scent and caused minor throat irritation.

“From a young age, I learned not to back down from threats,” Omar told the crowd, adding, “You face them head-on and stay strong.”

Trump has frequently criticized Omar publicly and on social media, also targeting her Somali roots.

“Ilhan Omar is garbage,” Trump remarked in December during a cabinet meeting. “Her friends are garbage.”

Omar, 43, arrived in the U.S. at age 12 and gained citizenship in 2000.

Meanwhile, U.S. Capitol Police reported a nearly 58% increase in threat assessments in 2025, rising for the third consecutive year. The agency investigated 14,938 incidents involving threats, behavior, or communications against members of Congress, their families, staff, and the Capitol complex, up from 9,474 in 2024.