Trump accuses Minnesota leaders of ‘inciting insurrection’ after fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis | World News

US President Donald Trump accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of “incitement of insurrection” after a man was fatally shot by federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis.

In his post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump claimed that the Democratic governor and mayor used “smug, dangerous and arrogant rhetoric” and undermined federal officials. “The Mayor and Governor are inciting insurrection,” Trump wrote. “Instead, these arrogant political idiots should be looking for the Billions of Dollars stolen from the people of Minnesota and the United States of America.”

Trump questioned why local police were not assigned to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, suggesting they were deliberately prevented from doing so.

“This gunman has his gun loaded (two more magazines loaded!) and ready to go. What’s this all about? Where’s the local police?” he wrote. “Why weren’t they allowed to protect the ICE Officers? The Mayor and Governor canceled them?”

Calling ICE agents “patriots,” Trump urged Americans to let them do their jobs and claimed widespread fraud in Minnesota. He claimed that individuals who had “stolen money from the people of Minnesota and the United States of America” would be jailed, adding that 12,000 “illegal alien criminals” had been arrested and removed from the state.

“The crooks who stole the money will go to jail where they belong,” Trump wrote. “This is no different than a really big bank robbery.” He accused critics of federal enforcement actions of using public outrage as a “cover-up for this theft and fraud” and concluded: “LET OUR ICE PATRIOTS DO THEIR WORK!”

The comments follow the killing of a Minneapolis resident during a federal immigration enforcement operation involving ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Democratic leaders identified the victim as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a Veterans Affairs nurse and U.S. citizen.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the attack occurred around 9:05 a.m. CT and that police officers were “conducting a targeted operation against an illegal alien wanted for violent assault in Minneapolis.”

According to DHS, “an individual approached U.S. Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.” The officers attempted to disarm him, but “the armed suspect resisted violently,” the department said.

“An agent, fearing for his own life and the life and safety of other officers, opened fire in a defensive manner,” DHS said. Medical teams provided emergency intervention, but it was determined that the person died at the scene.

DHS stated that the person was carrying two magazines and had no identification, and said, “This looks like a situation where a person wants to cause maximum damage and massacre law enforcement officers.” The ministry said the incident remains under investigation and more details will be released.

The department also claimed that approximately 200 protesters arrived at the scene and attempted to obstruct and attack officers, leading to the implementation of crowd control measures “for the safety of the public and law enforcement.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz strongly condemned the federal operation and called for its immediate halt.

Walz wrote to X: “This is sickening. The President must end this operation.” “Withdraw thousands of violent, untrained officers from Minnesota. Now.”

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the slain man was an American citizen and a legal gun owner with a permit to carry and confirmed that multiple federal officers were involved in the attack.

Democratic leaders across the country rejected the administration’s statement and demanded accountability.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries described the killing as a “horrific, preventable tragedy” and accused “vigilante, masked thugs masquerading as law enforcement officers” of “unjustly” killing an American citizen.

“The American people deserve a thorough and independent investigation without interference or obstruction by DHS,” Jeffries said, adding that “each and every federal agent responsible for the unjust killing of another civilian must be held criminally accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar said the attack involved immigration officers. “This appears to be an execution by immigration enforcement,” he said. “I am absolutely heartbroken, appalled and dismayed that federal agents killed another member of our community.”

Omar said the incident reflects a broader pattern under the Trump administration. “This is not an isolated or accidental situation,” he said. “The Trump administration is trying to capitulate rather than protect us.” He accused ICE and CBP of “violating constitutional rights under the guise of immigration enforcement.”

Bennie G. Thompson, ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the killing “should shock all Americans” and claimed that “another US citizen has been murdered in cold blood by ICE and CBP in Minneapolis.”

He accused DHS of trying to shape public perception and said that “in a matter of minutes, DHS and its mass propaganda machine slandered and attacked the deceased without any evidence.” Thompson demanded that ICE and CBP leave Minneapolis immediately and demanded the release of body camera footage.

There was also reaction from outside Minnesota. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she had learned of “another tragic attack by federal agents in Minneapolis” and warned that “this violence must stop.”

Bass said the president “must remove these armed federal forces from Minneapolis and other American cities,” adding that the administration had joined mayors across the country in a lawsuit filed in federal court against what he described as the “unconstitutional and illegal deployment of federal agents in the Twin Cities.”

He called Operation Metro Surge “unacceptable” and warned that the federal government should not be allowed to “turn cities into war zones.”

The killing followed the Jan. 7 death of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident who was fatally shot when an ICE officer opened fire on her vehicle during a separate federal operation.

The latest incident has further intensified the national debate over the scope, tactics and oversight of federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, especially in Democratic-led states and cities. Minnesota has seen repeated protests in recent weeks over the continued expanded federal presence, with sharply conflicting statements from federal and local officials on public safety and enforcement practices.

(With inputs from IANS)