Security for Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar tackled a man during a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday after the man sprayed an unknown substance on the lawmaker.
The man rushed Omar while she was speaking at a podium, spraying her with a liquid before pointing and appearing to yell at her. A security guard grabbed the man and took him to the ground.
Members of the crowd shouted in alarm and said that Omar had been sprayed with something. A woman then tried to convince Omar to end the town hall and get “checked,” but Omar refused to bring the town hall to an early close.
“We will continue. These f*cking a*sholes will not get away with this,” Omar at one point yelled as people attempted to usher her away. She eventually returned to the podium again to speak.
NEW — Rep. Ilhan Omar was just charged by a man at a town hall event in Minneapolis. Crowd says he “sprayed her” with something.
You can hear Omar demand to continue the town hall — and she’s back to speaking now from the podium. pic.twitter.com/4OpSWHo0Z9
— Jay O’Brien (@jayobtv) January 28, 2026
Omar on Tuesday was hosting her first in-person town hall of 2026, according to Fox News.
The Minnesota congresswoman has been in the national spotlight recently as the Trump administration has pursued fraud investigations into the Twin Cities’ sizeable Somali community. A fraud investigation led by the Department of Justice has resulted in dozens of arrests of Somali residents accused of bilking taxpayers out of hefty sums.
Omar has been scrutinized in particular over long-held suspicions that she committed immigration fraud by marrying her brother. She also has a long history of controversial comments, including drawing equivalencies between the United States and terror groups and downplaying the tragedy of the 9/11 terror attack.
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the federal government is probing Omar.
“Additionally, the DOJ and Congress are looking at ‘Congresswoman’ Illhan Omar, who left Somalia with NOTHING, and is now reportedly worth more than 44 Million Dollars,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Trump has attacked Omar in recent days over the allegations involving her brother.
Additionally, a New York Times report recently claimed that an investigation of some kind into Omar’s finances was begun under the Biden administration in 2024.
Omar has denied any wrongdoing. Earlier this month, she dismissed the recent allegations, saying, “They have been doing this sort of weird ethics investigation. Nothing has yielded anything because I have been as transparent as I can be.”
On Monday, the congresswoman said, “Sorry, Trump your support is collapsing and you’re panicking. Right on cue, you’re deflecting from your failures with lies and conspiracy theories about me. Years of ‘investigations’ have found nothing. Get your goons out of Minnesota.”
The House Oversight Committee is probing Omar’s skyrocketing net worth. House Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said staff lawyers will be looking into Omar and her husband.
Brecca Stoll contributed to this report.
