Capitol Police have sounded the alarm over a sharp increase in threats targeting members of Congress, a warning that came the same day a Minnesota congresswoman was attacked. The United States Capitol Police said cases rose in 2025 by about 57 percent compared with 2024. According to the agency’s Threat Assessment Section, officers examined 14,938 “concerning statements, behaviors, and communications” in 2025—up from 9,474 cases the previous year, marking the highest total in recent history and continuing a three‑year upward trend. Officials attributed much of the increase to the ease of posting threatening messages online, where people often act with a “false sense of anonymity,” and said reducing violent political rhetoric could help curb the surge. The report was released the same day that Rep. Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unknown substance during a Minneapolis town hall event. A man confronted Omar during the event and tried to spray her with an unidentified substance using a syringe. Just hours before the incident, Trump had singled out Omar in a speech in Iowa, continuing his pattern of public attacks against her.
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