Man charges at Rep. Ilhan Omar and sprays her with substance at town hall

A man sprayed Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar with an unknown liquid at a Minneapolis town hall Tuesday, but she vowed not to be intimidated and refused to immediately leave the event to get checked out.

The alleged perpetrator – who local police identified as Anthony Kazmierczak, 55 – was immediately apprehended and booked into Hennepin County Jail on a charge of third-degree assault, Minneapolis police told CBS News. Police said Omar was not injured.

Omar, a Democrat, was calling for the abolition of ICE and the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when a man sitting in the front row rushed up to her and sprayed her with a substance while yelling at her. Local police said he used a syringe.

Security staff grabbed the man, who was led out of the room in handcuffs, while other staff tried to get Omar to leave.

Omar refused, saying, “We’re going to keep going. These fucking assholes aren’t going to make it!”

“Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand: We are strong in Minnesota and we will remain resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us,” Omar said before continuing to speak and answer questions for nearly 30 minutes.

One person present said everything that had been sprayed “smelled so bad” and urged Omar to “go get checked.”

The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement: “Tonight, a man is in custody after he decided to attack a member of Congress – an unacceptable decision that will be brought to justice quickly. »

“We are now working with our federal partners to ensure this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this type of violence in our society,” the agency continued.

Omar later posted on X that she was fine.

“I’m a survivor, so this little agitator isn’t going to intimidate me and stop me from doing my job,” she wrote. “I don’t let bullies win.”

It is unclear whether Kazmierczak is represented by an attorney. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.

Earlier Tuesday, President Trump, who often criticizes Omar and Somali-Americans, said in a speech in Iowa that Somali Americans “have to show that they can love our country. They have to be proud. Not like Ilhan Omar. … This smart guy, you know, she always talks about the Constitution – ‘You know, she gives me the following. You know, the Constitution.’ She comes from a country that is a disaster. It’s probably – it’s considered… it’s not even a country, okay? There is virtually no government. I don’t think that’s the case. They are good at one thing: pirates. But they don’t do that anymore. »

The incident at Omar’s event comes during a tense time in Minneapolis following the fatal shot by Alex Pretti, 37 years old, by two Customs and Border Protection officers Saturday, which sparked days of protests.

Thousands of federal immigration agents have been deployed to the Twin Cities area since last month as part of a crackdown by the Trump administration that has drawn sharp criticism from Omar and other local politicians.

Omar is the second House Democrat to be physically confronted in recent days. In an unrelated incident, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida said on Saturday that he had been attacked during an event at the Sundance Film Festival. Local police in Park City, Utah, say a man “illegally entered a private party” and assaulted the congressman and another person. He was arrested on charges of simple assault and aggravated burglary, police said.

Members of Congress have faced a significant increase in threats in recent years. The U.S. Capitol Police say they investigated 14,938 threats and disturbing statements against lawmakers, their families and staff last year, up from 9,474 in 2024 and 8,000 in 2023.

Omar, the first Somali-American elected to Congress, has frequently spoken about the death threats she received, many of which contained racist or Islamophobic remarks.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect that the U.S. Capitol Police investigated 9,474 threats in 2024.