Suspicious package sent to Rep Ilhan Omar carried threatening note ‘the patriarchy will rise again’

Police determined the substance was not harmful

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was reportedly sent a strange and threatening package in the mail on Tuesday, prompting a police response.

According to Ms Omar, someone sent a package to her office that contained a "suspicious substance" and threatening note.

"The Patriarchy will rise again. Merry f****** Christmas," the note read.

Ms Omar said that the authorities were notified and that she and her team were unharmed.

"Everyone on our team is okay. We reported the package to Capitol Police and they determined it to be safe," she wrote.

Politico reported that the US Capitol Police responded to the scene and determined that the package was "negative for anything hazardous”.

Later that day, Ms Omar issued another tweet seemingly referencing the package.

"Three committee hearings, three votes, interviews, rallies, meetings and our day isn't even halfway done," she said. "They can send the threatening e-mails, phone calls and packages to distract us but nothing will ever slow us down as we serve the people of #MN5. I survived war, I got this."

Ms Omar is often the target of conservative harassment due to her inclusion in "The Squad" and the fact that she is a Muslim, an immigrant, and a woman.

In 2019, The New York Times conducted a study examining hate speech that found that of the 90,000 tweets mentioning her that they surveyed, nearly half included hate speech or Islamophobic or anti-immigrant sentiment.

Ms Omar is not the only member of Congress to receive a suspicious package this year.

Republican US Senator Rand Paul received a package at his home that caused momentary worry when a substance was discovered inside. According to reports, the substance was ultimately non-toxic. It is unclear why Mr Paul was sent the package.

In 2020, the hallway outside of Congressman Adam Schiff's office was shut down while Capitol Police examined it for a potentially dangerous substance. At the time, Mr Schiff was widely hated amongst Trump supporters for his role in the then-president's impeachment trials.

Overall, threats made to members of Congress are up 107 per cent in 2021, and the Capitol police believe that the threats will only increase.