A man shouts at U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) after spraying her, during a town hall meeting days after a man identified as Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal immigration agents trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 27, 2026, in a still image from video. REUTERS/Maria Alejandra Cardona
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) was sprayed with an unidentified substance while speaking at a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
Video shared on social media by Jay O'Brien, Capitol Hill correspondent for ABC News, shows a bearded man in a heavy jacket charging Omar at the podium before he is grabbed and whisked away by security. Omar and the other local lawmakers in attendance were visibly in shock. The town hall continued after the person was removed.
"What an a---hole," one attendee can be heard saying.
"He sprayed her!" another one shouted.
The town hall comes at a time when tensions between community members and the federal government have reached a fever pitch. Over the weekend, federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old ICU nurse named Alex Pretti during a protest. Pretti's death is the second high-profile killing by Trump's immigration agents in Minneapolis this month.
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