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Minnesota state Senator Omar Fateh, who is running for Minneapolis mayor, said his campaign office was vandalized this week with a threatening message targeting his faith and identity. The message, spray-painted on the building, read, “Somali Muslim — this warning is no joke.” Fateh’s campaign quickly reported the incident to police, calling it a serious act of intimidation.
In a statement released Wednesday, Fateh made it clear that the vandalism would not stop him from continuing his campaign. “Our campaign will not be deterred by hate speech and vandalism. We will not back down to Islamophobia. I will not be bullied or intimidated,” he said. “The people of Minneapolis are demanding change, and I will continue fighting for it.”
The Minneapolis Police Department confirmed that a report was filed and said the case has been referred to its Behavioral Threat Assessment Team, a specialized unit that reviews potentially dangerous threats. Police said no arrests have been made so far.
Mayor Jacob Frey, who is also running for re-election in November, condemned the incident and said city staff removed the graffiti on Thursday morning. “Acts of Islamophobia and hate against any religion or ethnicity have no place in Minneapolis,” Frey said. “I spoke with Senator Fateh yesterday and made it clear that my office, MPD, and our administration all stand ready to help.”
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) also urged law enforcement at every level to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime. CAIR-MN executive director Jaylani Hussein said, “This alleged threat is not just against one individual — it is an attack on Minnesota’s Somali, Muslim, and immigrant communities, and on our democratic process.”
This is not the first time Fateh has faced hostility. His campaign says he has been a target of harassment both online and offline, and he has previously received violent threats. Earlier this year, his name reportedly appeared on a “hit list” connected to Vance Boelter, who was charged in June with killing state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and wounding Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Fateh has also been the subject of attacks from right-wing commentators, who have questioned his loyalty to the country despite his birth in Washington, D.C.
At 35, Fateh holds the distinction of being the first Somali American Muslim elected to the Minnesota Legislature. His candidacy for mayor is seen as both groundbreaking and controversial. While he has drawn significant grassroots support, he also lost his Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement in July after disagreements over convention procedures. Even so, Fateh has pressed forward, saying his campaign represents communities that have long been overlooked.
As Minneapolis prepares for the November 4 mayoral election, the vandalism at Fateh’s office has highlighted the challenges faced by candidates from minority backgrounds. For many in Minnesota’s Somali and Muslim communities, the incident is a reminder of the hostility they still confront. For Fateh, however, it has become another reason to continue campaigning. His response has been defiant and determined, framing the attack as not only personal but as part of a broader fight for inclusion, representation, and justice in the city.