How the spray attack on Ilhan Omar unfolded as Minnesota congresswoman hits back: ‘I survived a war’

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says she refuses to bow to “intimidation” after she was attacked while delivering an anti-ICE speech in Minneapolis, the focal point of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“I’ve survived war,” the Somali-born Minnesota Democrat told CNN after an assailant rushed at her with a syringe containing unknown liquid during a town hall Tuesday, interrupting her speech but leaving her unharmed.

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

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Omar, who is frequently singled out for derision by Trump — including just hours before the attack — was addressing a crowded room when the assault occurred.

After calling on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment, a man seated near the front ran towards the podium. He shouted at the congresswoman and doused her with an unknown substance.

Soon after, the man — who has not been identified — was tackled to the ground and detained, video footage shows.

“Oh my god, he sprayed something on her!” a woman can be heard saying afterwards. Another urged her to seek immediate medical attention.

Omar, however, resisted efforts to move her offstage to safety. She returned to the microphone and said, “We’re going to keep talking,” adding, “Please don’t let them have a show.”

“Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand,” she continued. “We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us.”

She then reiterated her call for Noem to resign — as dozens of other Democratic and Republican lawmakers have done in recent days in response to her management of Trump’s immigration enforcement methods.

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About an hour later, Omar’s office issued a statement condemning the man and confirming she was not injured.

“During her town hall, an agitator tried to attack the Congresswoman by spraying an unknown substance with a syringe,” the statement said. “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.”

The U.S. Capitol Police also released a statement, saying that the assailant, who is in custody, will “be met with swift justice.”

“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,” the force said.

It added that lawmakers faced an uptick in threats in 2025.

The attack followed Trump's repeated denouncements of Somali immigrants, who make up a significant minority of Minneapolis’s population. He has labeled them “garbage” and demanded that Omar be deported or face imprisonment.

Just hours before the assailant rushed the stage, he again singled out the Minnesota congresswoman.

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“We need people to come in legally, but they have to show that they can love our country, not hate our country,” the Republican president said during an event in Iowa on Tuesday. “They have to show that they can love our country. They have to be proud. Not like Ilhan Omar... she comes from a country that’s a disaster. It’s not even a country.”

The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment on the attack and Trump’s remarks.

When asked by ABC reporter Rachel Scott late Tuesday if he had seen the video, the president is reported to have said: “No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”

When asked again if he had seen the video, Scott said his response was: “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don't have to bother.”

Still, the incident in Minnesota elicited condemnation from politicians across the political spectrum.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, called it “unacceptable.”

“Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis,” he said in a statement. “We can disagree without putting people at risk…This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city.”

Meanwhile, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace — who previously called for Omar to be deported — said she is “deeply disturbed” by Tuesday’s incident.

“Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric – and I do – no elected official should face physical attacks,” the South Carolina congresswoman said in a statement. “This is not who we are.”

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The incident is just the latest flashpoint in Minnesota, where the Trump administration has deployed numerous federal immigration agents, resulting in hundreds of detentions and two deadly shootings.

On January 7, Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in her vehicle. Three weeks later, on January 24, immigration officials killed Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, during a confrontation on a city street.

The shootings sparked disparate responses from elected officials, with Democrats condemning ICE and Republicans accusing the deceased individuals of acting inappropriately or violently. The incidents also triggered widespread protests in the state, and around the nation, leading to tense stand-offs between demonstrators and officers.

State and local officials have demanded that federal agents withdraw from Minnesota, accusing them of reckless behavior and of mounting an unconstitutional "invasion,” while the White House has vowed to ramp up its immigration enforcement operations while blaming Democrats for inciting anti-law-enforcement sentiment.

But, in recent days, the administration has signaled a desire to ease tensions in the state.

On Monday, Trump said he spoke with Democratic Governor Tim Walz about the unfolding situation in Minnesota. He described it as “a very good call,” and said, “we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength.” He added that he is sending border czar Tom Homan to the state.

The next day, the president told Fox News, “We’re going to de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota, though he hedged his comments, insisting: “I don’t think this is a pullback.”

This shift in rhetoric comes as Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics are facing strong pushback in the court of public opinion. While about half of American voters support the president’s deportations, a sizable majority, 61 percent, believe that the strategies employed by ICE have gone too far, according to a recent Siena University poll.