Rep. Ilhan Omar shared an anonymous death threat she said that she received to highlight her need for security.
The Minnesota Democrat has been in the spotlight since she was elected and is a part of the so-called “Squad,” along with Democratic freshman Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Omar has generated anger over multiple remarks she has made that have been interpreted as anti-Semitic and for her policy positions that veer to the left of other Democrats.
The death threat warns the lawmaker that she might be killed at the Minnesota State Fair, which runs from Aug. 22 to Sept. 2. The 37-year-old Omar, who was a Somali refugee as a child, tweeted out a photo of the threat, adding, “I hate that we live in a world where you have to be protected from fellow humans. I hated it as a child living through war and I hate it now.”
“But until deranged people like this stop threatening my life and the lives of others, I have to accept the reality of having security,” she added to the tweet which was in response to a photo that showed a bodyguard standing behind her.
I hate that we live in a world where you have to be protected from fellow humans. I hated it as a child living through war and I hate it now.
But until deranged people like this stop threatening my life and the lives of others, I have to accept the reality of having security. https://t.co/EUkaaCzXZi pic.twitter.com/VDweQr6bHf
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 28, 2019
The threat alluded to a mass casualty event at the fair.
“You will not be going back to Washington, your life will end before your ‘Vacation’ ends. That being said, you won’t die alone, if that matters. Quite likely at the Minnesota State Fair, that’s where the ,you won’t die alone, comes in. However we have a very capable person with a very big “Gun,” the letter reads.
“They say we can’t get the Somali Stink out of the clean Minnesota air, but we’re going to enjoy the adventure,” the typed threat adds.
Omar and Tlaib are the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. She said she has received a number of death threats since taking office in January.
A spokesperson for the congresswoman said the most recent threat has been relayed to law enforcement and they are reportedly investigating the letter.
