Ilhan Omar Attacked During Minneapolis Town Hall A Man Charged and Sprayed Her with Unknown Substance

Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked during a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

While addressing the crowd, Omar, 43, called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and urged the resignation or impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Near the end of her remarks, a man seated in the front row suddenly stood up, rushed toward her, and sprayed her shirt with a syringe containing an unknown substance that appeared to have a strong odor, according to C-SPAN footage.

The suspect was booked into the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault, police told authorities. The Minneapolis Police Department said the man was identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak.

Several attendees shouted in alarm as the incident unfolded, with one person heard warning the room, “He sprayed something,” according to the video.

Security quickly intervened. The man was tackled to the ground and removed from the venue, according to the footage. Staff and security urged Omar to end the event so she could be examined, but she chose to continue.

“We will continue,” Omar said. “These f—ing assholes are not going to get away with it.”

“Just give me 10 minutes. I beg you,” she added, responding to staff urging her to seek medical attention, the video showed. “Please don’t let them have the show.”

“Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand,” Omar told the crowd. “We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us.”

A person in the audience thanked Omar for staying and finishing her remarks, The New York Times reported.

“I learned at a young age you don’t give in to threats,” Omar replied.

In a statement, the U.S. Capitol Police condemned the incident and said the suspect remained in custody.

“Tonight, a man is in custody after he decided to assault a Member of Congress – an unacceptable decision that will be met with swift justice,” the agency said. “We are grateful for the rapid response of onsite security and our local law enforcement partners. We are now working with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society.”

Omar’s office was also contacted for comment.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also denounced the attack, according to The New York Times.

“This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city,” Frey said. “Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis. We can disagree without putting people at risk.”

The incident comes amid rising tensions in Minnesota following the deployment of ICE and other federal agents to the state under President Donald Trump’s administration. In recent weeks, two citizens — 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti and 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good — have been killed by federal agents, prompting demonstrations in Minnesota and across the country.

“They’re gonna make mistakes sometimes,” Trump said in reference to Good’s killing on Jan. 20. “ICE is gonna be too rough with somebody or — you know, they’re dealing with rough people. They’re gonna make a mistake sometimes. It can happen.”

Earlier Tuesday, Trump told reporters he did not think Pretti was “acting as an assassin,” but said he believed Pretti was wrong for carrying a gun to a protest.

“You can’t have guns, you can’t walk in with guns,” Trump said, later adding, “It is a very unfortunate incident.”