‘A gay man of the East African diaspora’: Ilhan Omar’s ex-husband Ahmed Elmi, rumored to be her brother, comes out of the closet and describes his sexual orientation in new academic paper

Ahmed Elmi, the former husband of Representative Ilhan Omar has come out as gay in a new academic paper published in August 2026. Elmi has described himself as “a gay man of East African Diaspora” in the introduction. The paper published under the University of Bristol in The Open Review Journal talks about queer violence in Kenya.

Elmi who is a research scholar at the university says in the paper that he conducted the research while negotiating his safety and the “complexities” of his identity. He added that due to being a gay man his fieldwork for the paper was “never neutral”.

How could the revelation make things difficult for Omar?

The new revelation could add to the growing trouble for Representative Omar. Amid renewed scrutiny over her marriage to Elmi, The New York Times reported that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security investigated Omar’s marriage in 2016. It was alleged that the Representative had married Elmi in 2009 to secure a green card. However, the case was closed in 2021 due to statute-of-limitation constraints.

President Donald Trump has reopened the probe. This is a part of wider inquiry into Omar’s citizenship application history. Following this the Department of Homeland Security executed a search at her Washington home earlier in October 2026. Several electronic devices and travel documents were seized from the residence. Over 170 congressional Democrats had issued signed letters urging the administration to halt the investigation.

President Trump accused Elmi of being Omar’s brother

The New York Post earlier reported that Omar’s former husband, Ahmed Hirsi’s friend, claimed that Hirsi once told him that Elmi was Omar’s brother from London. The friend had further claimed that Omar and Elmi had gotten legally married in order to secure immigration papers for Elmi. The two got divorced in 2017, and Omar married Hirsi in 2018.

Adding fuel to the allegations, President Trump has also accused Elmi of being Omar’s brother. The Representative has denied the claims, speaking to MS Now earlier she said there was no truth to the rumours to her knowledge. She has also called the allegations “insane”. Omar is currently married to political consultant Tim Mynett since 2020.

Who is Ilhan Omar’s former husband Ahmed Elmi?

The 41 year old Ahmed Elmi is a political science researcher and a British citizen, according to Newsweek. He is currently conducting doctoral research at the University of Bristol’s School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies.

According to his biography at the university website, Elmi got a full doctorate scholarship from the UK's Economic and Social Research Council in 2022. He is also described as a “top-ranked student” of the university.