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Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar was attacked with an unknown substance at a town hall she was hosting on Tuesday, when an audience member used a syringe to spray liquid at her, Minneapolis police said.

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 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 questions after the second fatal shooting of an American citizen by immigration officials this month.

In January, an immigration officer fatally shot US citizen Renee Good. Last week, US citizen Alex Pretti was fatally shot after being stopped by border agents, reigniting local protests and public outcry.

At the town hall, Omar called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be “abolished” and said Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem should “resign or face impeachment”. It was after these comments that the man attacked.

Officials pleaded with the Congresswoman to end the town hall but she insisted on continuing.

Speaking again at the podium Omar said: “We’re gonna keep talking. Just give me ten minutes. Please don’t let them have the show. Please don’t let them have the show.”

Many in the area see the increased immigration enforcement action as a response to President Donald Trump’s dislike of Omar who he has called a “radical left lunatic”.

On Tuesday, responding to the second fatal shooting, Trump said his administration was “going to de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota.

Additional reporting by Kristina Volk.

Canadian-American rock star Neil Young is offering Greenlanders a year’s free access to his archives in what he hopes will “ease some of the unwarranted stress and threats” they are receiving from the Trump administration.

Donald Trump has threatened to annex the Danish territory for what he says are national security reasons, though recently walked back comments, saying he was seeking “immediate negotiations” and insisting he “won’t use force”.

Young is known for his political protests, and has been a long-time vocal critic of Trump.

He announced the offer “of peace and love” on his website, where he added that he hoped “other organisations will follow in the spirit of our example.”

In his statement, signed “love earth”, Young refers to the Trump administration as “our unpopular and hopefully temporary government”.

Access to Young’s digital archive usually starts at around $25 (£18), depending on the subscription package. To secure free, access a Greenland registered mobile phone number will be required for verification.

In 2020 Young took legal action to try to stop the president from using his music at campaign rallies.

Earlier this month, Young wrote on his website: “Wake up people! Today the USA is a disaster. Donald Trump is destroying America bit by bit with his staff of wannabes…He has divided us.”

Young has also called on people to boycott Amazon over owner Jeff Bezos’s donations to the Trump campaign and support for the administration.

In 2024, Young ended a two-year boycott of streaming giant Spotify, which he had started in opposition to the platform streaming Joe Rogan’s podcast.

In 2022, he told Spotify to remove hits like Harvest Moon and Heart of Gold, complaining that Rogan was spreading vaccine misinformation.

Other artists, including Joni Mitchell and India Arie, also removed their songs in solidarity.

The singer said at the time that his return did not reflect a reversal of his stance, but that the decision came after Rogan signed a $250m deal to make his podcast available on multiple platforms, rather than remaining a Spotify exclusive.

Neil Young was born in Canada but later moved to the US and holds dual citizenship.

President Donald Trump has threatened to end US support for Iraq if former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wins power again.

Maliki, who has links to Iran, was selected at the weekend by an alliance of Shia-led parties as its nominee for prime minister.

The US president wrote on Truth Social that Maliki would be a “very bad choice”, adding: “Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos.”

Maliki, whose time in office between 2006 and 2014 was marked by sectarian violence, stepped down after Islamic State seized large parts of the country.

After being endorsed by a Shia coalition known as the Coordination Framework on Saturday, Maliki would then normally be nominated by the president, who holds a largely ceremonial role.

Iraq’s parliament was set to elect a president on Tuesday but the vote was delayed after the presidential candidate could not be agreed on.

Influential Shia groups in Baghdad have varying links to neighbouring Iran’s Islamic Republic, which is also controlled by Shia clerics.

Washington has voiced concerns about Iranian-linked groups deepening its influence in the region, including Iraq.

Trump said the country would have “zero” chance of success without US support after vowing to “no longer help” the country if Maliki was elected.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concern about Maliki’s links to Iran during a call with incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Sunday, emphasising “that a government controlled by Iran cannot successfully put Iraq’s own interest first”.

Trump has frequently bucked precedence by intervening in other countries’ elections, backing fellow right-wing candidates in elections in Poland, Romania and Honduras, where the US-backed winner was inaugurated on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the American military seized then-Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in order for him to face trial in New York.

Maliki led Iraq after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the removal and eventual execution of Saddam Hussein who had overseen a brutal repression of Shia Muslims over three decades.

During his time in office, Maliki led a chaotic period during which sectarian violence escalated between Kurdish and Sunni groups.

The aggressive crackdown on opponents was blamed for radicalising the Islamic State group of Sunni extremists, which came to control large swathes of territory and several key cities by the time Maliki stepped down in 2014.