Ilhan Omar didn’t flee to Morocco after federal agents’ raid on her home

Claim:

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar fled to Morocco, a country with no extradition treaty with the U.S., after federal agents searched her home in Washington, D.C.

Rating:

On Oct. 12, as federal agents searched the home of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, as part of an alleged criminal investigation, a rumor spread online that Omar had escaped to Morocco, which has no extradition treaty with the U.S.

One post (archived) on X read, “We’re hearing from sources at the State Department that Ilhan Omar has fled the United States for Morocco, which does not have a billatral extradition treaty with the US.”

There is no evidence Omar has escaped to Morocco. The source for this claim, Real Raw News, frequently spreads false and unverified rumors, many of which we have previously debunked. Additionally, Omar posted about the investigation on her social media accounts, describing her intention to fight back. As such, we rate this claim as false.

Snopes reached out to Omar’s office for comment. We will update this post as we get more information.

The earliest example of this claim appeared on Real Raw News’ X account. The same account posted an AI generated image claiming to show Omar appearing to hide in a tunnel claiming she “has gone underground”:

We’re hearing [sic] more reports that Ilhan Omar fled her home 30 minutes before the raid and has gone underground, hiding, fearing arrest. Working on two or three [sic] articles right now but will have this report out asap.

Real Raw News frequently posts false and unfounded information. It describes itself as a website for “for informational and educational and entertainment purposes” on its about page, which also says its content includes “humor, parody, and satire.” Real Raw News’ social media posts about the Omar claim did not contain a satire disclaimer.

Omar raid and investigation

On Oct. 12, Homeland Security Investigations agents carried out a pre-dawn raid of Omar’s Washington, D.C., home. In a statement on her Congressional web page, Omar’s office called the raid “an outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies.”

A few hours after the raid, Omar posted (archived) on X:

I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.

I will not be silenced.

Omar also posted a series of older clips of herself making critical comments about Fox News and Trump and resisting questions from reporters repeating old and unfounded claims that she had been married to her brother — a rumor we have debunked before.

On Oct. 15, Omar posted another statement on X in response to the news that the Trump administration had also probed her immigration records in 2019 and found nothing. She wrote:

Thank you to everyone who stood with me over the years. It’s been a scary journey but I have always been grounded in my work and ability to provide exemplary service to my constituents. Trump and his administration have been after me since I arrived in Congress. I have always stood up to him and that will never change. The pedophile protector will never silence me.

As of this writing, Omar has not been seen publicly since the raid. Federal agents also reportedly seized Omar’s laptop, cell phone and passport during their raid, according to an anonymous source speaking to MS NOW. We are unable to confirm whether Omar got those items back. 

A video shows Fox News asking Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, if the congresswoman had fled the country while he was walking outside their Washington, D.C., home. Mynett responded: “You guys are annoying the hell out of all the neighbors around here, man.”

In an earlier interaction with Fox News on the same street, Mynett was asked about his reaction to the raid. He said: “My wife came here when she was 12 years old, a child war refugee. No concerns.”

Omar is also running for reelection in her Minnesota district in the November midterms. In early October, her campaign posted a video of her appealing for donations “to help pay for security for her and her campaign” as she said she was “under attack” by Trump. Ahead of an important election, it is improbable that Omar would escape the country as the posts claim.

The scope of the investigation into Omar is unclear, but U.S. Vice President JD Vance previously accused Omar of committing immigration fraud. In September, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said his agency was investigating such claims. In October, The Washington Post reported the Trump administration had probed Omar’s immigration records in 2019 for the same issues being investigated today, and found nothing.

Snopes has reported on numerous false and unverified rumors about Omar.

Sources