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Who is Nasra Ahmed and why was the viral ‘banana and rice’ woman arrested in Minneapolis
Somali American Nasra Ahmed, known for a viral “bananas and rice” comment, was among 16 arrested in Minnesota for resisting federal agents at anti-ICE protests.
Nasra Ahmed, a 23-year-old Somali American from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who went viral for comments she made about the cultural mix of Somali and American, comparing it with "eating bananas and rice," has been arrested by federal agents.
Ahmed, along with 15 others, was arrested on Wednesday for participating in anti-ICE protests. Her arrest was noted by social media in a photo of the 16 arrested individuals released by the AG Pam Bondi.
"I am on the ground in Minneapolis today," Pam Bondi wrote, "Federal agents have arrested 16 Minnesota rioters for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement — people who have been resisting and impeding our federal law enforcement rights."
Ahmed is accused of participating in the fresh round of protests against illegal Somali immigrants in Minneapolis after the death of VA ICU nurse, Alex Pretti, 37, after being shot by Border Patrol agents on January 24.
Who Is Nasra Ahmed?
Nasra Ahmed is a Somali American who made headlines for her comments on the Somali American cultural mix at a press conference on January 21.
"Being Somali is more than just eating bananas & rice, it's a lot, it’s interesting, it's kind of like bananas & rice. You can eat bananas and rice,” she said at the presser, as she talked about being detained by federal agents on January 14 in the wake of the protests.
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"They pushed me hard, they used a lot of violence, my body still hurts, I got a concussion," she said about the experience, accusing federal agents of using the n-word on her.
Along with Ahmed, Pam Bondi also announced the names of the other 15 individuals arrested on Wednesday. She added that more arrests are coming.
They are: Christina Rank, Abdikadir Noor, Madeline Tschida, Nitzana Flores, Helicity Borowska, Quentin Williams, William Vermie, Paul Johnson, Gillian Etherington, Joshua Doyle, Kirubele Adbebe, Margaret Sager, Ilan Wilson-Soler, Ahmed, Alice Valentine and Matrim Charlebois.
