Nasra Ahmed — the Somali-American woman who recently went viral for comparing her cultural identity to “bananas and rice” — may now be facing a far more serious spotlight.
In a social-media announcement, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Ahmed was arrested and is among 16 people charged in connection with unrest in Minneapolis. The defendants, Bondi said, are accused of assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officials.
Ahmed drew national attention last week after speaking at a media briefing at the Minnesota State Capitol, where she claimed she had been “kidnapped by ICE.”
WCCO-TV in Minneapolis reported that Ahmed said she was nearby when she believed ICE agents were targeting two men she did not know, and that agents pushed her to the floor. According to the report, she alleged one agent used a racial slur before placing her into a vehicle, where she said she encountered another detained woman.
The station also reported that Ahmed spent two days in detention and was released without charges. The 23-year-old was born in the United States, and WCCO said it found no evidence of a criminal record. The report added that her claims were part of a broader pattern of allegations that U.S. citizens had been detained without being charged since Operation Metro Surge began in December.
But what made Ahmed a social-media sensation wasn’t the dispute over what happened during her detention — it was the way she described her identity.
“It’s an interesting thing, it’s very hard to describe what it means to be Somali and what it means to be American, but it’s like a cultural fusion,” she said. “It’s kind of like the bananas and rice, you know?
“It’s a — you know, people don’t think you can eat bananas with rice, but that’s what it’s like to be Somali and American.”
Her remarks spread rapidly online, including among users who noted that Minneapolis is home to the largest Somali-American community in the United States.
Now, the attention has shifted to the charges. Ahmed is accused under 18 U.S. Code § 111, a federal statute that can carry penalties of up to one year for simple assault, or up to eight years in cases involving “the intent to commit another felony,” depending on the circumstances.
Bondi, who said she was in Minneapolis, framed the arrests as part of a broader crackdown.
“I am on the ground in Minneapolis today. Federal agents have arrested 16 Minnesota rioters for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement — people who have been resisting and impeding our federal law enforcement agents,” Bondi said. “We expect more arrests to come.”
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: NOTHING will stop President Trump and this Department of Justice from enforcing the law.”
Online, some users also fixated on Ahmed’s arrest photo, noting it did not appear to show a bandage or visible injury, though it is unclear when the photo was taken.
In court, the judge handling the case criticized the public release of the suspect’s image, saying she was “deeply disturbed” the photograph had been posted on social media.
“This conduct is not something that the court condones,” said Judge Dulce J. Foster, according to a New York Times report.
