In an unsettling twist of events in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening, Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who serves Minnesota’s 5th district, was confronted by a man during a town hall meeting. The man approached Omar, seemingly spraying an unidentified substance at her while shouting aggressively.
The incident unfolded just as Rep. Omar was addressing the crowd, calling for the resignation or impeachment of Secretary Kristi Noem. As her remarks drew applause from the audience, the man moved towards her, holding an object in his right hand. He released the unknown substance, which appeared to strike Omar on her arm or chest. Amid his incoherent shouting, fragments of his words suggested he was demanding her resignation as well.
As the chaos ensued, the man continued to yell and gesticulate before retreating to the side. At this moment, he was swiftly apprehended by a man, likely part of Omar’s security detail, who tackled him to the ground.
In the immediate aftermath, Rep. Omar, visibly shaken, confronted the assailant, exclaiming a profane insult. The crowd reacted with surprise, with some members shouting in alarm to de-escalate the situation.
Amid the confusion, a woman in the audience inquired about the substance sprayed at Omar. Her response was one of uncertainty, as she admitted, “I don’t know.” The incident left many in attendance shocked and concerned over the safety of public figures during such events.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 28, 2026
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
At the time of the attack, Omar was saying, “Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment.”
As the crowd applauds, the man approaches her from the front. He’s holding something in his right hand as he sprays an unknown substance at her, which appears to catch her on the arm or chest. He’s yelling, and his words are mostly unintelligible, but it sounds like he’s saying, “You must resign or….” He continues yelling and pointing at her as he starts to back away toward the side, and then is grabbed by a man (possibly Omar’s security) and tackled to the ground.
Omar herself advances toward the man, and can be heard calling him a “f—ing a–hole,” while others in the crowd shout, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
A woman in the crowd can be heard asking, “What’d he spray you with?” Omar responds, “I don’t know.”
Another man who appears to be security moves toward Omar and is checking her out as she asks for a napkin.
Omar insisted on continuing the event, shouting, “We will continue — these f—ing a—holes are not going to get away with this.”
