The Minnesota Democrat wasn`t injured, and she continued speaking after the incident. Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault.

Muslim US Congresswoman Attacked with Syringe

????#US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was attacked by a man at a public meeting in Minneapolis and an unknown substance was sprayed at her.

????The congresswoman was attacked precisely when she said, "The Immigration Service cannot be… pic.twitter.com/PN8KdQ7yRx

— Ansarpress (@ansarpress1) January 28, 2026

A man at a Minneapolis town hall hosted by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., confronted her Tuesday night and tried to spray her with a substance before he was removed from the venue.

Omar, who has faced a barrage of near-daily attacks from President Donald Trump, had called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment moments before the man lunged toward her.

A man is tackled after spraying an unknown substance at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), left, during a town hall she was hosting in Minneapolis, Minn., on January 27, 2026. OCTAVIO JONES via Getty Images

The man walked down the middle of the room and tried to spray a liquid at Omar while he appeared to yell "you must resign" before a security guard tackled him to the ground. A person was then heard saying, "Oh, my God, he sprayed something on her," adding that it had a foul odor.

Minneapolis police said officers saw a man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid at Omar. They immediately arrested him and booked him at the county jail for third-degree assault.Brandon Bell via Getty Images

Local leaders who had spoken earlier 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. "These f--- a-holes are not going to get away with this."

The man was then removed from the room.

Minneapolis police said in a statement that officers "observed a man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid" onto Omar, adding that the man was then arrested by officers and booked in the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion 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 on her X account that she "is okay."

"She continued with her town hall because she doesn`t let bullies win," the statement said.

U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that the man made "an unacceptable decision that will be met with swift justice."

"We are grateful for the rapid response of onsite security and our local law enforcement partners," the statement added. "We are now working with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society."

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 focus of Trump`s attacks. He mocked her and her home country, Somalia, at a rally in Iowa on Tuesday afternoon, saying immigrants must "show that they can love our country; they have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar."

On Monday, Trump said the Justice Department and Congress were "looking at" Omar.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the town hall incident.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who has previously bashed Omar, including seeking to subpoena records about her as she accused her of immigration fraud, wrote Tuesday on X that she was "deeply disturbed" to learn about what happened at the town hall.

"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 town hall altercation comes amid high tensions in Minneapolis after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers and as Trump has indicated he wants to "de-escalate" in Minneapolis.

The incident is also the latest example of political violence in the U.S., from attempts on Trump`s life to the assassination 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 man accused of shooting them is also alleged to have shot and injured another Minnesota Democrat, state Sen. John Hoffman.

More recently, Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., said he was punched in the face Friday at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, by a man who is alleged to have told him Trump was going to deport him.

U.S. Capitol Police released an annual report Tuesday on investigated threats related to Congress. It said Capitol Police last year investigated 14,938 "concerning statements, behaviors, and communications directed against Members of Congress, their families, staff, and the Capitol Complex."

The number of investigations increased for a third consecutive year and jumped from 9,474 in 2024.

Muslim US Congresswoman Attacked with Syringe

????#US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was attacked by a man at a public meeting in Minneapolis and an unknown substance was sprayed at her.

????The congresswoman was attacked precisely when she said, "The Immigration Service cannot be… pic.twitter.com/PN8KdQ7yRx

— Ansarpress (@ansarpress1) January 28, 2026