Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquid during town hall

Omar was uninjured and continued to speak at the event following the incident.

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Omar was uninjured and continued to speak. The man was immediately arrested and forensics were being conducted at the scene, police added.

"I thought it was one of her aides going up to hand her a note or something," Jacquelynn Goessling said of the man that attacked Omar with liquid, the acrid smell of which consumed the front of the room.

In a statement on X, Omar said: "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."

After the incident, Omar, Democrat, told the room that "we will continue... we are Minnesota strong".

Another attendee, Alfred Flowers Jr, told the BBC that he "respected her courage and strength to still stay and finish the town hall for the people".

Video from the scene shows the team shouting "make a hole" as they wrestled the man out of the room.

As he was pushed out of the room, he said that Omar was "pitting us against each other". It was not immediately clear who the man was referring to.

The liquid he sprayed on Omar had a sour smell that was similar to a chemical product, according to a BBC journalist in the room.

In a post on social media, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said: "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."

In 2019, Omar became the first Somali-American, first African-born American, and one of the first two Muslim American women to serve in the US Congress.

The event was one of the regular town halls hosted by Omar, and about 100 people were in attendance in the north Minneapolis basement, expecting to hear about the presence of federal immigration officials in their town and ask q

Source: BBC

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