Amid a garden variety town hall, an attacker sprayed a substance at Ilhan Omar and then was subdued

The Congress member quickly returned to her speech and took audience questions. The attacker is in custody.

By: Matthew Blake

Outlets: MinnPost

Published: January 28, 2026

Words: 612

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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What began as a low-key town hall turned frightening Tuesday night when an unidentified man approached U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and sprayed her with an unknown substance before a security officer subdued him.

I was at the event and can report that the attack elicited numerous gasps. I also felt a wave of fear that Minnesotans were set to witness more political violence.

Omar, a DFLer from Minneapolis and co-chair of the Congressional …

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