Ilhan Omar Insists Her 'Real Name' Is Ilhan Abdullahi Omar When Fox Approaches Her at a Minnesota Mall
A federal filing lists her as 'Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.' Omar and her spokesperson deny the name claim and the marriage allegation. She has not been charged.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., told a Fox News Digital reporter Friday that her "real name" is Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, as questions about her identity grow in a federal immigration fraud investigation.
The exchange. Fox says it spotted Omar at the Karmel Mall of Somalia in Minnesota as she headed to Friday prayers. "Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, you know it," she said when asked about her name. "It's Ilhan Abdullahi Omar."
The filing. Federal prosecutors referred to her as "Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar" in a Wednesday filing in D.C. federal court, as Fox first reported. Two people familiar with the probe, including a law enforcement source, told Fox her real name is Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, the same last name as her ex-husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom reports have alleged is her brother. One source disputed Omar's account, telling Fox, "That's not her real name." One source also told Fox the filing's wording reflects evidence gathered so far.
The denial. Omar's spokesperson told Fox on Thursday that the reports are "completely false" and called the claim that she once married her brother a "disgusting conspiracy theory."
The search warrant. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro filed a motion Wednesday asking the court not to unseal the warrant for Omar's Washington home, as several media outlets have asked. The motion says the government is not finished executing the warrant. Fox reports Homeland Security Investigations searched the home earlier this month in a probe into whether she or her father committed immigration fraud when they became naturalized citizens. Subpoenas have gone to family members and her cellphone was seized.
The legal stakes. A former Minnesota federal immigration judge told Fox that if it were proven she was not using her real name, every form she ever filled out could be open to investigation.
Note for readers: Omar has not been charged and denies wrongdoing. The name claims rest on anonymous sources and a court filing that, per Fox, does not establish fraud. Fox reached her outside a place of worship, and we have not independently confirmed any of the identity claims.