United States Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has been forced to move out of her Washington, DC residence because of safety concerns after her home was raided, amid growing threats of violence against politicians. Last week, US federal agents searched Omar’s home with what a Justice Department spokesperson described as a “judicially authorised search warrant”, adding that the raid was part of an “ongoing federal criminal investigation”. According to NBC News, which cited one person familiar with the matter, charges against Omar may include conspiracy and making false statements in her immigration paperwork.
For years, Somalia-born Omar, who is Muslim, has been the target of right-wing conspiracy theories about her immigration status, including allegations that he had married her brother. The Minnesota congresswoman has repeatedly denied the allegations as “disgusting lies”. She has drawn the particular ire of US President Donald Trump, who views her as a thorn in his side and has threatened to deport her.
Omar came to the US in 1995 at age 12 and was naturalised as a US citizen in 2000. Since January 2019, she has served as a congressional representative for the state of Minnesota. But on Wednesday, she told the US news outlet MS NOW that following the raid on her Washington apartment, she could no longer live there.
The raid on Omar’s home comes as violent attacks on politicians have grown more frequent. She, herself, has been physically assaulted. In January this year, Omar was sprayed with an unknown substance by an assailant while calling for the abolition of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency at a town hall meeting in Minneapolis.
On Monday this week, Australian independent MP Helen Haines, who has championed climate action and advocated for improved working conditions as a lawmaker, was hit by a car outside her electorate office, resulting in the amputation of both of her legs. Australian police said it was a “targeted attack” and warned of growing “online extremism” and recorded a rise in abuse, threats and intimidation targeting lawmakers. The violent attack on Haines was particularly shocking.
Her attacker, identified as Brendan Nugent, 43, allegedly drove past her before turning his car around and veering towards Haines, pinning her against her car. Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the driver then reversed before ramming her again. Sofia Collignon, a reader in comparative politics and director of the Mile End Institute of Research at Queen Mary University London, said instances of physical violence, such as the attack on Haines, are still “relatively rare in terms of numbers”.
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