Ilhan Omar Resurfaces In Somali Safe Haven After Raid
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., resurfaced at a sprawling Somali shopping center in Minneapolis on Friday, making one of her first public appearances since federal agents raided her Washington, D.C., home earlier this month.
The embattled congresswoman spent part of the afternoon at Karmel Mall, a massive commercial hub in Minneapolis’ Somali community, where she joined Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and several acquaintances for lunch.
The outing came less than two weeks after the Oct. 12 raid, which was conducted as part of a federal investigation into possible immigration fraud involving paperwork submitted when Omar and her family came to the United States.
Omar has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
The investigation has also raised questions about the congresswoman’s identity after a Justice Department court filing identified her as “Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a/k/a Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.”
Sources familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital that Ilhan Nur Said Elmi is Omar’s birth name, a claim the Democrat has vehemently denied.
Omar appeared relaxed during Friday’s visit, greeting supporters, posing for photographs and chatting with patrons while security personnel kept watch over her and Ellison.
The two Democrats had cast early ballots at a Minneapolis polling location before heading to the mall, which its owner describes as the largest Somali shopping center in the world.
Fox News Digital was granted access to the property by owner Basim Sabri, a prominent Minneapolis real estate developer with longstanding connections to Omar and other local political figures.
The four-story complex houses roughly 900 vendors, offering a dramatically different shopping experience from traditional American malls.
Many businesses operate behind metal roll-up doors resembling those found in storage facilities. Merchants raise the shutters when they arrive, with operating hours appearing to vary considerably from one storefront to another.
Inside, shoppers encounter Somali clothing stores, barbershops, travel agencies and businesses specializing in international financial services.
Several merchants offer prepaid electronic SIM cards for overseas communications, while money transfer businesses advertise services connecting Minneapolis residents with Somalia, Kenya and other East African countries.
Somali is widely spoken throughout the complex, where English frequently takes a back seat.
Ilhan Omar enjoying herself at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis after casting her vote earlier today. https://t.co/NrNaqOkrU6
— abdirashid omar (@ghelle001) October 24, 2026
The mall’s dining area features Somali, Palestinian and American flags hanging at equal heights, along with a blue ceiling decorated with a white star resembling Somalia’s national flag.
Sabri, who was born in Gaza before moving to the United States, described the surrounding neighborhood as a distinctive cultural and commercial enclave.
“You are standing at the Karmel Mall, and the surrounding community next to us, and its referred to as [the] Islamic Peace Village by many other people as well,” Sabri told Fox News Digital in an interview outside his mall. “Karmel Mall is the largest Somali mall in the world, and it’s also the largest mall in the city of Minneapolis.”
Sabri insisted the complex provides immigrant entrepreneurs with an opportunity to establish businesses before expanding into larger commercial spaces.
“It is kind of an incubator setting where many businesses start in here, and then many succeed and grow and move somewhere else, to a bigger space,” said Sabri.
POLL: Should Ilhan Omar Be Deported If Found Guilty Of Immigration Fraud?
Despite the mall’s reputation as a bustling commercial center, Fox News Digital reported that outsiders, particularly those carrying cameras, attracted scrutiny from security guards and patrons.
Sabri personally instructed guards to allow the outlet’s journalists to move through the property during an earlier visit.
The developer has also demonstrated a willingness to use his property to make political statements.
In February 2024, Sabri barred Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, from entering the mall after the mayor vetoed a City Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Sabri maintains close ties with Omar and was acquainted with her late father, although he declined to discuss details of their relationship.
His influence extends well beyond the shopping center.
Sabri owns several apartment buildings near the Lake Street property, many of which house Somali residents. His real estate holdings have helped make him an influential figure in the neighborhood.
During two informal interviews with Fox News Digital, Sabri recounted his journey from an impoverished childhood in the Middle East to studying in Minneapolis and eventually building a substantial real estate portfolio.
The businessman also boasted of his connections to Minneapolis politicians, whom he repeatedly referred to as “whores,” and helped arrange an interview with City Council Vice President Jamal Osman.
But the politically connected developer has a criminal history of his own.
In 2005, Sabri received a 33-month federal prison sentence for bribing a Minneapolis public official.
He discussed his incarceration with Fox News Digital, including a stint at the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas.
The mall owner’s defense of his immigrant business community comes as Minnesota continues to grapple with massive public assistance fraud scandals, including cases involving numerous Somali American defendants.
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Sabri acknowledged the controversy but rejected the suggestion that criminal conduct defines the broader community.
“You can see [the] Somalis not only integrating in the community, but also prospering,” he said. “Somalis are very smart business individuals.”
“Yes, there’s some crooks in every society … just like every other community,” he said.
“But my experience is that Somalis are very, very intelligent and extremely hard-working people.”
Sabri argued that the mall’s hundreds of small businesses represent immigrants pursuing economic opportunity in the United States.
“So, I would invite anybody to come into the mall, and know that there are many people doing a great job and making a good living, and learning the American dream, and doing business, and opening businesses that eventually tend to be very successful for them.”
POLL: Should Ilhan Omar Be Deported If Found Guilty Of Immigration Fraud?