Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is facing renewed scrutiny after delivering an unexpected response during a television interview about longstanding allegations involving her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi.

During an appearance on MS NOW with host Chris Hayes, the Minnesota Democrat was directly questioned about claims that Elmi, whom she legally married in 2009, was actually her brother.

Omar has repeatedly rejected the allegation, previously describing it as a “disgusting lie.”

But when Hayes pressed her to confirm that she and Elmi were not related, her response drew attention.

“Not to my knowledge.”

Ilhan Omar denies that she married her brother: “Not to my knowledge.” https://t.co/uxRq3i08zP

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) October 22, 2026

The exchange came after Hayes asked Omar to explain the origins of the allegation, identify her former husband and address whether there was any factual basis for the claims.

Omar maintained that the accusation originated on a Somali online forum before spreading through Minneapolis political circles.

She said individuals later claimed she had introduced Elmi as her brother, an assertion she described as “insane.”

The congresswoman insisted that she did not know the people making those claims.

Hayes then attempted to clarify the issue, asking whether Omar was related to Elmi in any way and whether there was “not some weird kernel of truth” behind the allegations.

Rather than simply repeating her previous denial, Omar answered, “Not to my knowledge.”

The remark has become a focal point of the controversy, although it does not establish that Omar and Elmi are related or that any wrongdoing occurred.

Questions surrounding Omar’s marital history have followed the congresswoman for years.

According to her own account, Omar entered a faith-based marriage with Ahmed Hirsi, the father of her children, in 2002. That marriage was not legally formalized.

In 2009, she legally married Elmi, a British citizen of Somali descent.

Omar has stated that she and Elmi separated through a faith-based process in 2011, although their legal divorce was not finalized until 2017.

She has also said she reconciled with Hirsi before legally marrying him in 2018.

That marriage ended in divorce in 2020, the same year Omar married her current husband, political consultant Tim Mynett.

The complicated timeline has fueled years of public questions about her marital relationships, although the allegations that she married a sibling remain unproven.

According to the supplied report, Elmi previously submitted an application for a marriage-based green card that was subsequently withdrawn after immigration authorities requested additional supporting evidence.

The interview also comes amid reports of a federal investigation examining Omar’s immigration history.

According to those reports, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant at Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence on October 12.

Investigators reportedly removed several items, including a cellphone, computers, notebooks and a passport.

The reported investigation concerns possible false statements and immigration fraud, including questions about citizenship paperwork submitted around 2000 and whether Omar or her late father misrepresented her age.

Investigators have also reportedly obtained DNA material, although no public laboratory findings establishing a familial relationship between Omar and Elmi have been released.

Another development described in the report involves a Department of Justice court filing responding to requests from news organizations and Judicial Watch to unseal materials connected to the search warrant.

The filing reportedly identified the subject as “Congresswoman Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.”

The report states that the name “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi” was associated with Omar’s 2009 marriage to Elmi, while “Ilhan Abdullahi Omar” appeared as an alias.

The use of those names in a legal filing does not, by itself, establish that the congresswoman committed fraud or that the allegations about her former husband’s identity are true.

Federal prosecutors reportedly requested additional time to respond to the applications seeking disclosure of the warrant materials, explaining that the warrant had not yet been fully executed.

A federal magistrate judge had also reportedly imposed restrictions on certain aspects of the search because of Omar’s status as a sitting member of Congress.

Despite the reported investigation and renewed attention surrounding her interview, no criminal charges had been filed against Omar at the time of the original report.

The allegations involving her former husband remain disputed, and no publicly disclosed DNA findings have established that the two are siblings.

Nevertheless, the interview has brought fresh attention to a controversy Omar has spent years attempting to put behind her.

At the center of the renewed scrutiny is one brief exchange: When directly asked whether she was related to the man she married in 2009, Omar answered, “Not to my knowledge.”

Whether additional evidence emerges to resolve the longstanding allegations remains an open question.

Federal authorities have arrested a 17-year-old Texas teenager accused of plotting to assassinate Republican Rep. Keith Self at a public event in McKinney, Texas, as part of an alleged ISIS-inspired terrorist attack planned for North Texas.

According to federal law enforcement sources cited by WFAA, the FBI arrested the teenager on October 5 after investigators learned he had obtained a firearm, escalating concerns about a potential attack targeting the congressman.

The suspect, whose identity has not been publicly released because of his age, faces federal charges connected to the alleged assassination plot. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking to have him tried as an adult.

Investigators believe the teenager had recently become radicalized after consuming ISIS propaganda online and was already under federal surveillance before his arrest.

Authorities reportedly moved in after discovering that he had acquired a gun, preventing the alleged plot from advancing further.

The intended target was Rep. Self, a Republican representing Texas’ 3rd Congressional District and a 25-year military veteran.

According to investigators, the teenager allegedly planned to attack Self on October 17 while the congressman was scheduled to judge a chili cook-off at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in McKinney.

The alleged assassination attempt was reportedly part of a broader terrorist plot targeting North Texas that same weekend.

A federal law enforcement source briefed on the investigation told WFAA that the planned violence was inspired by ISIS, the terrorist organization responsible for deadly attacks around the world.

Self confirmed that he and his family were safe following the suspect’s arrest and issued a statement addressing the threat.

“Protecting our Constitutional Republic from radical Islam is getting messy. I served in the military for 25 years with the mindset that defending freedom was worth the sacrifice. Our elected leaders should govern with that same mindset,” the congressman told WFAA.

The reported plot raises serious questions about the continued threat of online terrorist recruitment and the ability of extremist organizations to influence individuals inside the United States.

According to the report, the teenager’s alleged radicalization occurred through ISIS-related material available online, highlighting concerns about extremist propaganda reaching young Americans.

Federal authorities had reportedly been monitoring the suspect before he obtained the firearm, allowing agents to intervene more than a week before the planned October 17 attack.

The congressman was also asked whether his outspoken positions on radical Islam may have contributed to his selection as a target.

Self acknowledged that he suspected a connection but emphasized that he could not establish the alleged attacker’s motive with certainty.

“If it’s ISIS related, you kind of have to believe that. I can’t prove that. I don’t know that for sure. But you have to follow the [old saying] if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck,” he said.

The alleged assassination plot comes amid continuing concerns about threats directed at elected officials and the potential for extremist violence at public political events.

The fact that Self was reportedly targeted while preparing to attend a community chili cook-off underscores the security challenges facing lawmakers who regularly interact with constituents outside heavily protected government facilities.

Self later released a separate statement on X thanking federal investigators for stopping the alleged attack and declaring that the threat would not prevent him from carrying out his responsibilities in Congress.

“I am grateful to the FBI and law enforcement for stopping this threat. My family and I are safe, and I remain focused on serving the people of Texas’ 3rd District. Preserving our constitutional republic from radical Islam means accepting the costs that come with it—name-calling, threats, and worse. Our Founders believed this country was worth the sacrifice. I served 25 years in the military because defending freedom was worth the sacrifice. This only strengthens my resolve. I will not back down,” the congressman said.

The suspect reportedly remains in federal custody as prosecutors pursue the case.

Because the accused is a juvenile, authorities have not publicly disclosed his identity, and additional details about the alleged plot remain limited.

The Justice Department and FBI had not released a separate public statement outlining further evidence or specific case details at the time of the original report.

The allegations have not been proven in court, and the suspect is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

For now, the reported arrest has prevented the alleged October 17 attack from taking place, while federal prosecutors seek to move forward with the case against the teenager.

The case centers on a chilling allegation: A 17-year-old who investigators believe was radicalized by ISIS propaganda allegedly obtained a firearm and planned to assassinate a sitting member of Congress at a community event before federal agents intervened.

Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was detained by Israeli military forces Wednesday after joining dozens of activists and Palestinian farmers for an olive harvest in the West Bank, triggering a confrontation over Israeli security restrictions just weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.

Lander, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 10th Congressional District and former New York City comptroller, was among approximately 80 to 90 volunteers detained near the Palestinian village of Nahalin, outside Bethlehem.

The group included American and Israeli rabbis, human rights activists and international volunteers participating in an organized olive harvest.

According to reports, the volunteers had been working in the olive grove for approximately two hours when Israeli troops arrived and declared the location a closed military zone.

Military personnel subsequently detained participants and transported them for questioning, setting off a dispute over whether the group had violated Israeli security requirements.

Lander quickly publicized the incident on X, posting a photograph from a bus carrying other detained volunteers.

“I’ve been detained by the IDF, along with a group of rabbis & volunteers,” Lander wrote. “The occupation is a crime under international law. Harvesting olives isn’t a crime under any law I know.”

The Democratic candidate was released several hours later with a warning, although other volunteers reportedly remained in custody.

Following his release, Lander suggested that his political prominence may have influenced how Israeli authorities handled his detention.

“I’ve been released from IDF custody with a ‘warning,’ apparently because of my public profile (I told them I wasn’t even a congressmember yet, just a nominee),” he wrote.

Israeli military officials defended the operation, maintaining that the group had entered an area where agricultural activity required advance coordination with security authorities.

The Israel Defense Forces argued that harvesting olives near an Israeli community without proper authorization could create security risks.

Military officials also accused some participants of using the agricultural activity to provoke confrontations rather than simply assist Palestinian farmers.

That explanation, however, faced questions after The Times of Israel cited an official Israeli Civil Administration map indicating that the specific location where the volunteers were detained did not require advance authorization.

Despite that reported discrepancy, Israeli military authorities maintained that the landowner would need to coordinate future harvesting activities with security officials.

The competing accounts have intensified scrutiny of the operation and the restrictions governing Palestinian agricultural access in parts of the West Bank.

Rabbis for Human Rights, the organization involved in coordinating the harvest, said Palestinian farmers had been unable to access the affected olive groves for approximately three years.

The organization maintained that its volunteers were participating in peaceful agricultural work and had agreed to comply with military instructions.

Israeli police later reported that dozens of detainees had been released, although four foreign activists reportedly faced possible deportation proceedings following questioning about their political activities.

The incident comes at a politically sensitive moment for Lander, who is campaigning for Congress in a heavily Democratic New York district.

Lander has been an outspoken critic of Israeli government policy and has previously called for an end to U.S. military assistance to Israel.

His campaign has attracted support from prominent progressive Democrats, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The confrontation also places renewed attention on the political divide surrounding American support for Israel and the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank.

Israeli authorities maintain that military restrictions in certain areas are necessary to protect security and prevent confrontations.

Palestinian advocacy organizations and human rights activists argue that such restrictions can prevent farmers from accessing agricultural land and carrying out essential economic activities.

Wednesday’s detention was not the first reported confrontation involving an American Democratic politician and Israeli forces in the West Bank.

In July, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California was reportedly briefly detained by Israeli military personnel during a visit to the region.

Following his release, Lander condemned the detentions and demanded that Israeli authorities release the remaining volunteers.

The episode leaves unresolved questions about the legal basis for declaring the harvest location a closed military zone, the reported discrepancy involving the Israeli Civil Administration map and the circumstances surrounding the detention of dozens of participants.

For Lander, the confrontation has placed his criticism of Israeli policy at the center of another international controversy just days before voters decide whether to send him to Congress.