Rep. Ilhan Omar was assaulted when a man shouted that she "should resign" and then took out a syringe and sprayed an unknown liquid at the Minnesota lawmaker during a chaotic town hall event. Omar was standing at the podium, sharply criticizing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and calling for the abolition of ICE, when chaos suddenly broke out.
Anthony Kazmierczak, who was yelling something that couldn't be clearly heard, reportedly rushed toward her from the front row near the lectern and sprayed a liquid toward her chest. Witnesses said the syringe appeared to contain an amber-colored substance. The congresswoman instinctively chased Kazmierczak and looked ready to punch him down.
Complete Chaos
However, before Omar could do anything, security stepped in, tackled him, and dragged him out of the North Minneapolis venue. "I need a napkin," Omar was heard asking a staffer on the hot mic.
Staff members quickly told her to get medical help, but the 43-year-old member of the "Squad" brushed it off.
"No, we will continue. I'm fine," Omar insisted.
Someone standing close to her remarked that whatever had been sprayed had an overpowering, foul smell.
After a brief pause, Omar returned to the podium and resumed her speech just minutes later, pressing on as if to show she wouldn't be shaken. "We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us," she said, as her assailant was still being removed from the room.
Kazmierczak, 55, was arrested by Minneapolis police and booked into the Hennepin County Jail on a third-degree assault charge, authorities said.
Police spokesperson Trevor Folke confirmed that Representative Omar was not hurt and went back to addressing the crowd after the incident. "Representative Omar was uninjured and resumed speaking at the event," Folke said.
Forensic specialists were later called to the scene at the Urban League Twin Cities building to process the scene and collect evidence, according to investigators.
"I'm ok," Omar wrote on X about an hour after the incident.
"I'm a survivor so this small agitator isn't going to intimidate me from doing my work," she continued. "I don't let bullies win. "Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong."
Incident Criticized
Minneapolis City Council member LaTrisha Vetaw, who was speaking at the town hall said some of the liquid landed on her jacket. She said that the venue had metal detectors at the entrance and police stationed outside before the event even began.
The attack drew immediate outrage, with political leaders from both parties speaking out to denounce the assault and express support for Omar. "I am deeply disturbed to learn that Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked at a town hall today," Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) wrote on X.
"Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric – and I do – no elected official should face physical attacks.
"This is not who we are."
The attack took place just a day after Trump said the Department of Justice and Congress were looking into the dramatic increase in the Minnesota Democrat's reported wealth — comments that came amid broader federal scrutiny of her finances and local tensions over immigration enforcement.
Trump, who has previously suggested Omar should face jail time or even be sent back to Somalia, had announced those investigations after sending border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota in response to backlash over the recent deaths of civilians during immigration operations.
