WATCH: Man arrested for attacking Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar at Minneapolis town hall
Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked and sprayed with an unknown substance during a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday night. Security quickly tackled the man and took him into custody.
Minneapolis police say the suspect, identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, is now booked into the Hennepin County Jail on a charge of third-degree assault.
Authorities say Omar was not injured.
‘You should resign’
Omar was in the middle of an address calling for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment when a man approached the podium. The man sprayed an unknown substance from a syringe onto Omar while yelling, “You should resign!”
Police say forensic scientists responded to the scene.
Not backing down
When local leaders urged Omar to leave the event and get medical attention, she refused.
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Capitol Police say that in 2025, U.S. lawmakers faced a surge in violence and threats, seeing a 58% increase from 2024.
“We will continue,” she said. “These f—— a——- are not gonna get away with this.”
Following the town hall, Omar said she has “survived war” and that she is “definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me because I’m built that way,” CNN reports. Omar came to the U.S. when she was 12 years old as a refugee from Somalia’s civil war.
She repeated that sentiment in a post on social media Tuesday night.
“I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work,” she said. “I don’t let bullies win.”
Other lawmakers respond
Other lawmakers have responded to the incident.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appeared to link the attack to the current political climate.
“The cruel, inflammatory, dehumanizing rhetoric by our nation’s leaders needs to stop immediately,” Walz urged in a post on X.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also spoke out, calling the attack “unacceptable.” He said he’s relieved Omar was not injured and that he’s grateful to the police for their quick response.
“Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis,” Frey said. “We can disagree without putting people at risk.”
This story is featured in today’s Unbiased Updates. Watch the full episode here.
President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday night that he had not seen the video of the incident, just hours after he criticized Omar during a speech in Iowa.
ABC’s Rachel Scott reports Trump said, “No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
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