The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

A man reportedly called Rep. Ilhan Omar’s office and threatened to kill her. He has been arrested and charged.

Omar has been the subject of Islamophobic smears since taking office

By
April 8, 2019 at 2:10 p.m. EDT

Adapted from a story by The Washington Post’s Felicia Sonmez.

On March 21, a man called the Washington, D.C. office of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), according to a statement Friday by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Western District of New York.

“Do you work for the Muslim Brotherhood?” Patrick W. Carlineo, 55, asked a staff member who answered the phone, according to the statement. “Why are you working for her, she’s a [expletive] terrorist. I’ll put a bullet in her [expletive] skull.”

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Now, Carlineo has been arrested and charged with threatening to kill Omar.

The threat was referred to U.S. Capitol Police, who conducted an investigation with the FBI. Carlineo was arrested on Friday; a hearing has been scheduled for April 10.

Omar’s office and U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Omar, who was elected in November, is one of the first two Muslim congresswomen to serve in the House. She has been the subject of Islamophobic smears since taking office, including a poster in the West Virginia state capitol that falsely connected her to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In on-air remarks last month, Fox News Channel host Jeanine Pirro suggested that Omar’s wearing of a hijab could be “indicative of her adherence to sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution.” The comments prompted a public outcry as well as a condemnation from Fox News Channel; Pirro returned to her show last week after an apparent two-week suspension.

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s comments have been all over the news. In Minnesota, they’re causing pain and confusion.

An outspoken critic of U.S. policy toward Israel, Omar has also made remarks that some say invoke anti-Semitic stereotypes.

Eli Rosenberg and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report.