Gerrard Kaonga
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unknown liquid out of a syringe by a man while she was speaking at town hall in a shocking scene.
Video footage has captured the moment a man walked directly at Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the shocking incident on Tuesday (January 27).
The man, who was in the audience, sprayed her with a substance out of a syringe while yelling at her, according to the local sheriff's office.
Omar appeared uninjured and the man was immediately apprehended while staff began to check on the congresswoman.
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Seconds after the incident, Omar told the audience they would continue while an apparent member of her staff insisted she needed to get checked out to ensure she would remain healthy.
The man was also seen being wrestled out of the room, while saying that Omar was ‘pitting us against each other’. However, it was not clear who he was referring to with this statement.
The officer of Omar issued a statement following the incident, reading: “During her town hall, an agitator tried to attack the Congresswoman by spraying an unknown substance with a syringe. Security and the Minneapolis Police Department quickly apprehended the individual. He is now in custody.
"The Congresswoman is okay. She continued with her town hall because she doesn’t let bullies win."
Omar also posted on her personal X page and claimed she would not be rattled by the incident.
She wrote: “I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work.
“I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
A BBC journalist who was in the room said that the liquid sprayed on Omar had a sour smell, similar to a chemical product, according to a BBC report.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also condemned the incident in his own social media post and said it should not be tolerated.
He wrote: “Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis. We can disagree without putting people at risk... This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city."
During the town hall, Omar called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be abolished.
She also said that the Department of Homeland secretary Kristi Noem should 'resign or face impeachment'.
It was after this comment that the man got up and attacked Omar, however, his motives still remain unclear at this time.
Tensions remain high in Minnesota following the fatal shootings of two American civilians in the space of one month after interactions with federal immigration officers, with many calling for the agents to leave the city and also face more accountability for their actions and conduct.
UNILAD has contacted the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office for comment.