Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a town hall event in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 27, 2026.
Photo / AFP
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks during a town hall event in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 27, 2026.
Photo / AFP
The Justice Department has charged a man accused of approaching Representative Ilhan Omar at a Minneapolis town hall this week and spraying her with a liquid from a syringe.
Anthony Kazmierczak faces a count alleging that he “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with … an officer and employeeof the United States” as Omar was performing her official duties as a member of Congress, according to a criminal complaint filed this week. He could face up to a year in prison if convicted of that misdemeanour count.
According to an affidavit from an FBI special agent involved in the case, Omar said that “the liquid stained her clothes, and may have reached her face and right eye”. Hazmat specialists identified the liquid as water and apple cider vinegar. The substance has been sent to a state laboratory for more testing.
According to the affidavit, a “close associate of Kazmierczak” told investigators in an interview this week that several years ago he heard Kazmierczak say of Omar, “Somebody should kill that b****.”
During an initial court appearance by Kazmierczak on Thursday, a judge granted the Government’s request to detain the suspect pending a detention hearing Tuesday.
Representatives for Omar and the Justice Department did not immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment. Jean Brandl, a federal defender representing Kazmierczak, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A man is detained by security after charging Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and spraying her with an unknown substance during a town hall event in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo / Steven Garcia, NurPhoto, AFP
Tuesday’s attack occurred while Omar, whose district includes Minneapolis, was speaking out against the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents last week amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown on Minnesota.Omar called for abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, who oversees that federal agency, to resign or face impeachment.
After Omar said that, a man in the front row rose from his seat, stumbled toward the congresswoman and shouted something unintelligible while aiming a syringe at her, according to a live stream of the event. The livestream showed the man being tackled to the ground and taken away by security.
The suspect, later identified as Kazmierczak,was immediately arrested and booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault, police said.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) finishes her speech after being attacked by a man who sprayed her with an unknown substance during a town hall event in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Photo / AFP
Omar has sought to connect Trump’s rhetoric to the attack, saying at a news conference on Wednesday that “every time the president of the United States has chosen to use hateful rhetoric to talk about me and the community that I represent, my death threats skyrocket”.
Trump has, in recent months, used racist and dehumanising rhetoric to attack Somali immigrants, often singling out Omar, a Somali American and immigrant. After the town hall, the president told ABC News that he hadn’t seen video of the incident but accused Omar, without citing any evidence, of potentially staging the attack.
“I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud,” Trump said. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Jeremy Roebuck, Niha Masih, Amy B Wang and Alec Dent contributed to this report.
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