The talk around the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) investigation into alleged citizenship fraud by Minnesota US House Rep. Ilhan Omar received fresh winds in its sails after the Department of Justice (DOJ) used her first married name in a court filing.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) raided Ilhan Omar's residence in Washington, D.C., on October 12. Omar is accused of immigration fraud.
The search warrant used to carry out the search at Rep. Omar's residence was asked to be unsealed by news organizations and Judicial Watch, a legal watchdog. The DOJ declined to do so in the filing, saying they need more time to assess the evidence collected from the four-term Congressman's.
As US Attorney General Jeannie Pirro asked for more time to assess the evidence in the case on behalf of the DOJ, the filing used Ilhan Omar's first married name, “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi." The name that she uses, i.e. Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, was included as alias.
It reignited a long-debunked claim that Omar's first husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, is her brother, and she married him in an alleged failed plot to get him US citizenship. Omar has denied the claim.
{{/usCountry}}It reignited a long-debunked claim that Omar's first husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, is her brother, and she married him in an alleged failed plot to get him US citizenship. Omar has denied the claim.
{{/usCountry}}The claim first returned to discussion when a New York Post report after the raid cited a source in the federal agencies to report that DNA evidence was purportedly seized from their DC home.
A source told NYP the DNA seized could be “critical to proving an allegation that Omar married her brother when she wed Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009.” Now, referencing Omar as Ilhan Nur Said Elmi by DOJ has added to the conspiracy.
'DNA Evidence Collected': What We Know So Far
After the New York Post report the DHS also confirmed that DNA evidence was collected from Rep. Ilham Omar's house. Photos from the day of the raid showed officers carrying boxes of seized evidence.
Even though the search warrant has not been unsealed, and what the allegations against her are not known, the supposed DNA evidence has become a talking point. Especially after the New York Post report brought up the debunked conspiracy theory about Omar allegedly marrying her brother.
Newsmax had reported that the evidence was collected from a dumpster at the lawmaker's home in DC. But that was later debunked by the New York Post, which said that sources in the agencies said that the DNA evidence was not collected from the dumpster.
Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen of Somali descent, lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is an academic associated with the University of the Witwatersrand.