A man who sprayed U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar with an unknown substance is tackled.
photograph: AFP/Octavio Jones

US Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was targeted during a speech when a man sprayed her with an unidentified liquid with a syringe, before being tackled by a security guard, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.

The men were led off the premises as Omar, a frequent target of attacks by President Donald Trump, continued to speak, saying, “We’re going to be resilient in the face of what they throw at us.”

The incident took place at City Hall in Minneapolis, USA. Unrest has increased in the city this month after two Americans were killed in a violent anti-immigrant crackdown.

At the time of the attack, Omar had just finished calling on the Trump administration to reverse its current course.

“ICE cannot be reformed, ICE cannot be rebuilt. ICE must be abolished forever,” Omar said to applause. “And (Homeland Security) Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or be impeached.”

After Omar uttered those words, a security guard tried to arrest the man, but a man jumped up from the front row, spoke and sprayed the lawmaker. Omar stepped toward his attacker with his fist raised and returned to the podium.

After some expletives, the lawmaker took the microphone, despite her team’s vocal concerns that she should not proceed.

“There’s a reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand. We are strong in the state of Minnesota, and we will be resilient in the face of whatever they will throw at us,” Omar said.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Trump criticized Omar and Somalia during a speech in Iowa, saying the Mogadishu-born congressman “comes from a country that is experiencing disaster.”

According to the US think tank New America, President Trump ordered 143 attacks on Somalia during his second term and recently cut back on diplomatic relations, including halting humanitarian aid.

– AFP