A suspect is in custody after he allegedly rushed Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and sprayed her with a loaded syringe during a town hall in Minneapolis, where federal agents have shot and killed two people since the start of the New Year.
Omar was addressing the meeting attendees, calling for the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, when a man charged at her and then doused her abdomen with an unknown substance. He also seemed to shout something toward Omar, but it’s unclear what he said.
In video of the incident, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, “Oh my God, he sprayed something on her.” Security can also be seen tackling the man to the ground, a moment that was met with cheers, and then immediate concern for Omar, who refused to leave the meeting for medical assistance.
Instead, the congresswoman went on to speak for another 25 minutes.
After the town hall, Omar — an American citizen and a refugee who fled Somalia’s civil war — said she has “survived war” and that she’s “definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me because I’m built that way.”
She was uninjured in the incident.
Images of the syringe used in the attack, which was dropped amid the chaos, showed what appeared to be a light-brown liquid inside. While what exactly the substance remains unknown, witnesses reported a strong, vinegar-like smell in the room.
The suspect, identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, was arrested on charges of assault. He’s being held at the Hennepin County Jail, authorities confirmed.
Kazmierczak was previously convicted of felony auto theft in 1989, has been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence, and has had numerous traffic citations, according to Minnesota court records, which also suggest he has been struggling financially, going as far as to declare bankruptcy on two separate occasions.
On social media, Kazmierczak, a self-described network engineer living in Minneapolis, has made comments critical of former President Joe Biden and referred to Democrats as “angry and liars.” An apparent fan of Trump, he also suggested the current president is working to make the “US is stronger and more prosperous.”
In another post, Kazmierczak asked, “When will descendants of slaves pay restitution to Union soldiers’ families for freeing them/dying for them, and not sending them back to Africa?”
“I don’t let bullies win,” Omar wrote later on X. “Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
In response, President Trump accused Omar of staging the attack herself. When asked about the incident on ABC News on Wednesday, the president said: “I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud.”
He added: “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
During an appearance on CNN on Wednesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries ripped the president’s allegation as “disgusting,” adding that Trump’s “lies and misinformation continue to fan the flames” of violence.
“Ilhan Omar, of course, is a strong, courageous, hardworking public servant,” Jeffries said. “This should have never happened.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed the sentiment, saying the “attack on Rep. Omar tonight was a despicable act of political violence and intimidation.”
The attack on Omar comes amid fierce political tensions in Minnesota and beyond. Local and state officials have been clashing with the Trump administration since December, ever since the president deployed hundreds of federal agents to the area as part of his aggressive immigration crackdown.
Since then, two people have been fatally shot in clashes with ICE agents: 37-year-old Renee Good, a mother and self-described poet, and ICU nurse Alex Pretti, also 37.
President Trump, along with his some of his top aides, have slammed leadership across the state, blaming the violence on protesters and local officials. Meanwhile, Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have condemned the administration’s decision to overwhelm Minnesota with federal agents, and have repeatedly called for ICE to leave the state.
“I’m glad that Congresswoman Omar is safe,” Walz wrote on X. “Our state has been shattered by political violence in the last year. The cruel, inflammatory, dehumanizing rhetoric by our nation’s leaders needs to stop immediately.”
With News Wire Services
