January 28, 2026 | 11:45 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - US Representative Ilhan Omar from Minnesota was attacked by a man while holding a public meeting in Minneapolis.
Omar, a member of the Muslim minority in the House of Representatives, was sprayed with an unknown substance by the man before being knocked to the ground on Tuesday, as reported by Al Jazeera on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
The Somali-American politician was reportedly unharmed in the attack, and authorities have not said what substance was sprayed or whether charges have been filed against the attacker.
Omar, a Democrat who has faced a series of near-daily verbal attacks from President Donald Trump, had called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment moments before the man lunged at her.
“ICE cannot be reformed,” Omar said.
The attacker then shouted, “You must resign,” and approached Omar. He then poured the liquid on her. The attacker was then knocked to the ground.
The audience cheered as the man was restrained and his hands tied behind his back. In a video clip of the incident, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, “Oh my God, he sprayed something on her,” the Associated Press reported.
Local leaders who had previously spoken at the event urged Omar to leave the room and “get checked,” but she said that “is what they want.”
“We will continue,” she said, as reported by NBC News. “These f------ a--holes are not going to get away with this.”
Minneapolis police said in a statement that officers “observed a man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid” at Omar, adding that the man was later arrested by officers and booked into Hennepin County Jail on a charge of third-degree assault.
“Representative Omar was uninjured and resumed speaking at the event,” the statement said.
Minneapolis forensic scientists responded to the scene, police added.
Omar’s office said in a statement posted to the representative’s X account that she “is okay.”
"She continued with her town hall because she doesn’t let bullies win," the statement said.
The U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incident.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Omar said, "I survived war, and I’m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me, because I’m built that way."
Omar has long been a target of Trump's attacks. He mocked Omar and her native Somalia during a rally in Iowa on Tuesday afternoon, saying that immigrants should "show that they can love our country; they have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar."
On Monday, Trump said that the Justice Department and Congress were "looking at" Omar.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the public gathering incident.
Representative Nancy Mace, who has previously criticized Omar, including seeking to subpoena records while accusing her of immigration fraud, wrote on Tuesday that she was "deeply disturbed" to learn of what happened at the public gathering.
"Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric — and I do — no elected official should face physical attacks. This is not who we are," Mace wrote.
The city hall altercation comes amid high tensions in Minneapolis following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers, and as Trump has indicated he wants to "de-escalate" tensions in Minneapolis.
The incident is also the latest example of political violence in the US, from the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump to the murder of Charlie Kirk.
In Minnesota, former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed last year in what authorities called a "politically motivated assassination." The same alleged shooter also shot and wounded another Minnesota Democrat, state Senator John Hoffman.
Most recently, Representative Maxwell Frost said he was punched in the face on Friday at the Sundance Film Festival by a man who allegedly told him Trump would deport him.
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