Washington, Jan 29, (dpa/GNA) – The prominent Democratic US Representative, Ilhan Omar, was attacked by a man from the audience during an appearance in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening.
Omar was calling for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in light of the brutal actions of federal security forces in the city, when the unknown assailant suddenly stood up, approached her and sprayed her with an unidentifiable substance.
Videos of the incident showed the attacker spraying a liquid on Omar and insulting her. Security forces overpowered the man, brought him to the ground, and then escorted him out of the room.
In the few seconds before a bodyguard intervened, the man did not appear to attempt to lunge at the representative standing directly in front of him at the podium, or to further physically attack her.
Omar continued her appearance afterward. She said that attackers should not be allowed to have the last word. People like the assailant, she said, do not understand that the state of Minnesota and its citizens are strong and resilient.
“We will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw on us,” Omar said to cheers and applause from those present. “I’m going to finish my remarks.”
Later on the platform X, she wrote that she was fine: “I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win.”
Omar thanked the citizens of her constituency who “rallied behind” her. Her office stated that the attacker used a syringe to spray her with an unknown substance. He has been arrested.
US President Donald Trump repeatedly launches fierce verbal attacks on Omar. Referring to her Somali roots, he has often suggested to the US citizen that she should “go back” to Somalia.
At times, he has also referred to the left-wing representative as “disgusting” or mocked the Muslim woman’s headscarf.
For some conservative Republicans, the Democrat Omar is a popular target: She is politically far left, a successful black Muslim and remains defiant despite all criticism.
Omar has also reported receiving death threats in the past.
The city of Minneapolis, represented by Omar in Congress, has been in turmoil for weeks. The reason is a massive and often brutally conducted operation by heavily armed federal security forces enforcing Trump’s strict deportation policy.
The mood in the city is extremely tense, especially after the killing of two US citizens by federal security forces.
When Omar was just 8 years old, her family fled Somalia, a crisis state in the Horn of Africa. She then moved with her family to Minneapolis in 1997.
Since 2019, she has been an elected member of the House of Representatives in Washington.
GNA