Federal investigators have interviewed Sahra Noor, the sister of Representative Ilhan Omar, as part of an ongoing inquiry into the Minnesota Democrat, according to reports published this week. Agents spoke with Noor on the same day that federal investigators executed a search at Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence.
The ongoing federal investigation is examining whether Omar committed immigration fraud, including long-standing allegations that she married her brother. Authorities have reportedly gathered DNA evidence as part of the broader probe into the congresswoman’s background and past marital history.
The scrutiny centers on Omar’s 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi. The couple separated shortly after their wedding before officially divorcing in 2017. Omar has consistently and publicly denied the allegations that Elmi is her biological brother.
At the time of the recent investigative activity, Noor was traveling across the United States to promote her newly published book, titled “Salt in the Snow: A Somali Immigrant Story.” One of the scheduled stops on her promotional book tour was reportedly canceled last week as investigators carried out the search at her sister’s home.
Omar and Noor arrived in the United States as refugees during the 1990s following the overthrow of the brutal regime led by Somali communist dictator Siad Barre. Their father, Nur Omar Mohamed, had served as a high-ranking military official in Barre’s government and lived on a guarded residential compound before the family fled the country.
In addition to the current federal inquiries surrounding her sister, Noor has faced separate scrutiny regarding her business background. A previous investigative report linked Noor to the massive COVID-era fraud scheme known as “Feeding Our Future,” which involved billing the federal government for meals for children that were never actually distributed.
Before moving back overseas to live in Kenya, Noor utilized the address of a Minnesota woman who maintained business partnerships with several individuals who were subsequently convicted for their involvement in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme. In 2019, Noor established an organization named Grit Partners Consulting. According to promotional materials, the group has secured more than $20 million in funding for various health initiatives and has consulted on projects backed by federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and USAID.
Grit Partners Consulting was originally incorporated at a residential property located in Lakeville, Minnesota. A woman residing at that address was tied directly to three individuals convicted over their roles in the federal meal-program fraud. Media outlets reached out to Noor for comment regarding the specific focus of her conversation with federal investigators, but did not immediately receive a response.
