A man was arrested Tuesday after spraying an unknown substance at Representative Ilhan Omar during a town hall event.
The suspect used a syringe to spray the congresswoman, who was addressing supporters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, about the ongoing protests against ICE.
Despite being sprayed by a liquid described by eyewitnesses as having a foul odor, Omar remained on the stage.
“These f***ing ***holes are not going to get away with it,” she said in footage recorded by C-Span. “Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand.
“We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us. I learned at a young age that you don’t give into threats.”
The substance that Omar was sprayed with remains unknown, although photographs taken by the Associated Press showed the remains of a light-brown liquid inside the syringe.
Anthony Kazmierczak was later identified by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, who listed the 55-year-old on their jail roster. He has been charged with third-degree assault.
What we know about Anthony Kazmierczak
Details about the suspect are still emerging following the attack Tuesday, but a neighbor described him as a “pretty conservative guy” who “doesn’t like Omar.”
Brian Kelly told The New York Post Kazmierczak had asked him to watch his dog while he went to the event.
“He said, ‘I’m going to this Omar thing.’ I’m like, Omar what? He said ‘This town hall thing.’ And he said, ‘I might get arrested,’” Kelley told the outlet. “I figured it was nonsense. He wasn’t going to do anything stupid.”
Kelly claimed Kazmierczak is “heavily medicated” because of a car accident that affected his spine nine years ago and suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
Kazmierczak has a history of sharing posts about politics on social media, on a Facebook profile under the name “Andy,” including criticism of the Biden administration.
“We’re all too stupid to realize Biden and Pelosi’s ‘Greatness,’” he wrote in a sarcastic 2022 post. That same year, he also compared Biden to Elmer Fudd, a the bumbling Looney Tunes character.
He also reshared a post from conservative commentator Ben Shapiro’s account, which had uploaded an image of a transgender athlete winning a prize.
“All the best women as men,” Shapiro captioned the post. “Men are incredibly good at women’s swimming.”
Kazmierczak also took aim at Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison in 2022, resharing a post blaming him for “rampant crime” in the state and calling for his resignation.
In 2025, he changed his profile picture to an image of Donald Trump at a Turning Point USA event after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. He later changed the image to a picture of Kirk’s widow, Erika.
Other posts show Kazmierczak posing with his dog, Laura, including one in which he added an Israel flag. The 55-year-old also shared several posts supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, including one which described Vladimir Putin as an “evil leader.”
However, not all of his social media presence was focused on his political views.
In his Facebook bio section, Kazmierczak describes himself as an “empty nester looking to enjoy retirement and 2nd half of my adventure.” His employment history lists ‘phone company business consultant’ for 22 years.
He also has two previous DUI convictions, according to court records seen by CNN. The outlet added that Kazmierczak has been married and divorced twice.
Attack came out after Omar spoke out against ICE
Moments before Omar’s attacker raced on stage, the congresswoman had criticized the activities of ICE agents in Minneapolis.
“ICE cannot be reformed,” she said. “It cannot be rehabilitated.
“We must abolish ICE for good, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment.”
Hours before the attack, Trump had criticized Omar in a speech delivered to supporters in Iowa.
The latest in a series of swipes at the Somalian congresswoman, the president said immigrants should only be allowed into the country if they love the United States.
“They have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar,” he said, as the crowd erupted into boos.
“She comes from a country that’s a disaster. So probably, it’s considered, I think - it’s not even a country.”
Omar is a frequent target for MAGA Republicans
Born in Somalia, Ilhan Omar moved to the United States in 1995, after securing asylum amid the Somali Civil War.
Trump has long suggested that the Congresswoman came to the U.S. illegally, despite evidence to the contrary, making her a frequent target for MAGA Republicans.
The president has even falsely claimed that she married her own brother to gain citizenship and often references her during speeches about Somali immigration to the United States.
Her home state of Minnesota is a fixation for MAGA Republicans, too, with both Trump administration officials and social media users sharing conspiracy theories about alleged fraud cases conducted by Somali immigrants in the state.
