Warning that he had a gun permit, a 21-year-old Minneapolis man threatened harm to two FBI agents and a language interpreter who came to his home, according to charges.
Mohamed Ali Omar, 21, was charged in federal court in St. Paul with threatening a federal officer. Omar appeared in court Monday and remains jailed pending a second hearing Friday.
"The safety and security of FBI employees is of paramount concern to the organization," said Minneapolis-based special agent in charge Richard Thornton. "The FBI will aggressively address all actual or implied threats to its employees."
Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger emphasized that "any person has the right not to talk to law enforcement officers. But it is a crime to threaten violence against a federal law enforcement agent."
According to prosecutors, two FBI agents and a language interpreter went on Thursday to Omar's home in the 3500 block of Columbus Avenue S. to interview a family member about a suspected crime. When they arrived, Omar opened the door and directed obscenities toward the agents.
He also threatened to "put down" the interpreter and told the agents "he had a permit to carry [a gun], and that if they came back, he would get them," court documents read.
Omar also told the agents that they "knew his history," the criminal complaint read. That comment, combined with his behavior up to that point, left the agents to understand that he would shoot at them if they returned to his home.
According to court records, Omar's criminal history includes a conviction in 2012 for drug possession.
