The man charged with spraying Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with an unidentified substance at a Minnesota town hall had told his neighbor beforehand that he might "get arrested" at the event. Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, was charged on Tuesday with third-degree assault after allegedly spraying a pungent, vinegar-smelling liquid at Omar using a syringe.
Prosecutors have claimed that he targeted the congresswoman while she was at the podium, calling for the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. It has since come to light that the Minneapolis native appeared to foreshadow his alleged actions in a chilling text message he sent to his neighbor, Brian Kelley, just before the event.
Warned His Neighbor
Kelley told the New York Post that Kazmierczak texted him that he was heading to "this Omar thing" and asked if he could keep an eye on his dog while he was gone. "He said, "I might get arrested,'" Kelley told the outlet. "I figured it was nonsense. He wasn't going to do anything stupid."
Kelley said he agreed to help by walking the dog, but Kazmierczak later backed out and told him he had "got it covered."
He described Kazmierczak as a Trump supporter who disliked Omar, but stressed that he never thought he was the type who would physically attack anyone. Kelley also said Kazmierczak has Parkinson's disease and suffered a serious car accident a few years ago that injured his spine. Since then, he has been heavily medicated and largely limited in what he can do physically.
Kazmierczak is accused of attacking Omar during a town hall meeting in Minneapolis, an event held amid escalating tensions over federal immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of two protesters by agents earlier this month.
Omar had just called for the abolishment of ICE and for Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment moments before the incident.
Pressure is growing on Capitol Hill for the Homeland Security Secretary to resign following the deaths of 37-year-olds Renee Nicole Goode and Alex Pretti, with few Republicans defending her.
"ICE cannot be reformed," Omar said just before she was attacked. "DHS Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment."
Moment of Attack
Prosecutors say Kazmierczak then ran toward Omar and sprayed a light brown liquid at her from a syringe. People nearby reported a strong, vinegar-like smell from the substance. He allegedly told Omar she should resign and accused her of "tearing Minnesota apart" before security guards pulled him away.
The crowd cheered as he was held down and had his arms secured behind him.
Omar looked like she was about to confront Kazmierczak before he was taken away, muttering, "F*ing ahole."
Police arrested him right away and took him to the county jail on a charge of third-degree assault, while forensic experts examined the scene.
Omar went on to speak for another 25 minutes after security removed the man, saying she would not be intimidated.
As she left the venue, Omar said she felt shaken but was unharmed and would be checked by medical staff.
She later wrote on X that she was fine, saying she is a survivor and would not let a minor agitator stop her from doing her job, adding that she does not give in to bullies.
Trump later weighed in on the incident, calling Omar "a fraud" and implying that the syringe attack was staged.
