Protester Sprays Ilhan Omar With Unknown Substance at Town Hall

Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota was attacked by a protester during a town hall Tuesday evening just as she called for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The man, who has yet to be identified, sat in the front row and waited until about 30 minutes into the event to stand up and begin shouting. He then lunged toward the podium and appeared to spray something on the congresswoman while yelling that she should resign.

“Whatever it is smells so bad, she needs to go get checked,” LaTrisha Vetaw, a Minneapolis city council member, could be heard saying.

The individual was tackled to the ground by Omar’s security guard and ultimately removed from the room.

A spokesperson for the Minneapolis Police Department told NOTUS that officers at the scene “observed a man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid” onto Omar. The individual, who has yet to be identified, was arrested and booked for third-degree assault, while a forensics team was sent to process the scene.

Following the incident, Omar pleaded with her security team to continue the event.

“We will continue, these fucking assholes are not going to get away with it,” Omar said while struggling with her security to remain at the podium. “That’s what they want, please don’t let them have it.”

“I am good,” Omar repeated.

Continuing her remarks while security wrestled the protester out of the room, Omar doubled down on her impeachment threats against Noem and called for immigration enforcement to leave her state.

“When we say we are going to put our lives on the line for what is our right, we mean that,” Omar said to the crowd, which let out a cheer.

Omar’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NOTUS.

A man is tackled to the ground after spraying an unknown substance on U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall in Minneapolis. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP)

The congresswoman continued the town hall for nearly 30 more minutes, as a security guard stood immediately beside her. She addressed a number of constituent questions, including queries about violence used by federal agents and navigating social welfare programs being targeted by the Trump administration.

Leaving the event, Omar told a CNN reporter she felt “okay” and that “it is important for people, whether they are in elected office or not, to not allow these people to intimidate us.”

“I’m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think they can throw at me because I’m built that way,” Omar said.

In the last month, Minneapolis has taken center stage in national media coverage as local residents have pushed back against the Trump administration’s massive deportation operation with daily protests garnering thousands of supporters.

The city has been the subject of two fatal shootings by federal agents in the past month, incidents that have only inflamed tensions between residents and the thousands of immigration officers detailed to the area. Additionally, the Trump administration has directed a suspension of funding for welfare programs to the state, citing concerns about fraud.

“It’s truly heartbreaking this moment we find ourselves in, but if we know anything about U.S. history, it’s that everything is temporary,” Omar said, wrapping up the event. “We will find our way out of this.”