After 5-Hour Federal Raid, Ilhan Omar Plans To Move Out Of Washington DC Home Over Safety Fears

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar says she will move out of her home in Washington, DC, citing safety concerns following a recent raid of the property by US federal agents.

In an interview with MS NOW on Wednesday, Omar spoke for the first time about the raid, noting that the incident has made her feel unsafe there.

Last week, officers 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, potential future charges against Omar may include conspiracy and making false statements in her immigration paperwork. Omar denies wrongdoing and accuses the administration of political intimidation.

Omar, who was born in Somalia and is a naturalised US citizen, said she is “confident in the fact that I didn’t do anything wrong”.

Omar recalled waking up at about 6am to Homeland Security investigators banging on her door with a warrant. They searched for four or five hours and seized 17 items, including phones, notebooks, a Somali-language children’s book and a vintage camera that her husband had received as a gift.

“It would be a huge undertaking to, I suppose, indict a 12-year-old for so cleverly conspiring to defraud immigration services to come to the United States. I’m sure there are a lot of smart 12-year-olds, but that seems like a leap,” she said.

Omar came with her family to the US at age 12, after they obtained asylum. She became a US citizen five years later, in 2000.

The search drew sharp condemnation from congressional Democrats, who also questioned the timing ahead of November 3 midterm elections.