Man held for threatening Muslim Representative Ilhan Omar; called her 'terrorist'

A western New York man has been charged with threatening to kill US Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Federal prosecutors announced Friday that Patrick Carlineo Jr. was arrested after placing a threatening call to Omar's office in Washington D.C. last month.

The FBI said in a criminal complaint Carlineo called her a "terrorist" and threatened to shoot her. The bureau said that Carlineo sounded angry during the call but "spelt his name correctly and provided contact information" to a staffer.

Carlineo told the FBI that he is a patriot, "loves the president and that he hates radical Muslims in our government," the criminal complaint says. Carlineo's defence attorney declined to comment on the charges Friday. Authorities did not say when Carlineo was arrested. Omar is among the first of two Muslim women to serve in Congress.

Omar was met with backlash for remarks she made earlier this year on Israel, including comments that American supporters of Israel are pushing people to have "allegiance to a foreign country ." Some people perceived Omar's comments were anti-Semitic. She later apologized, saying "anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes." Omar, a Somali-American, has also received anti-Semitic and racist comments.

(With inputs from agencies.)