Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was sprayed with an unconfirmed liquid, possibly apple cider vinegar, from a syringe during a town hall speech on Tuesday night.
The suspect who sprayed her with the unidentified liquid, 55-year-old Anthony James Kazmierczak of Minneapolis, was arrested at the scene and booked into Hennepin County Jail on charges of felony third-degree assault.
Video footage from C-SPAN captured the moment Kazmierczak, seated in the front row, rushed toward the podium where Omar was speaking before spraying her with a small amount of the mysterious liquid. Minneapolis Police officers then immediately tackled him to the ground.
Omar’s office released a very short statement after the incident, simply reading, “During her town hall, an agitator tried to attack the Congresswoman by spraying an unknown substance with a syringe. Security and the Minneapolis Police Department quickly apprehended the individual. He is now in custody. The Congresswoman is okay. She continued with her town hall because she doesn’t let bullies win.”
Her statement notably did not thank the police officers.
Omar was calling for the complete abolishment of ICE and demanding that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem resign or face impeachment when the “attack” occurred. Afterwards, she declined staff pleas to leave for medical evaluation and continued speaking for roughly 25 minutes.
According to Hennepin County Jail records (booking #2026001615), Kazmierczak has been charged with third-degree assault, and as of Wednesday morning, is currently being held without bail.
It remains unclear as of press time whether Kazmierczak has a lawyer or has been assigned a public defender, or whether the man faces any additional criminal charges beyond those listed in his initial booking records.
Various reports have surfaced claiming that his neighbors described Kazmierczak as politically right-leaning; however, this remains unverified at the time of publication. One neighbor told reporters Kazmierczak attended Yale University Divinity School and has been dealing with medical issues, including Parkinson’s disease, following a car accident. Additionally, MSN reported that court records show he has two DUI convictions and a history of financial and personal instability, including unemployment, disability benefits, two divorces, and a 2019 bankruptcy while living in Minneapolis. There is speculation that Kazmierczak’s children hold left-wing ideologies.
Some online commentators say that this liquid “attack” was staged or entirely fake, citing that Omar appears to give Kazmierczak a slight nod before he stands up, and that she doesn’t seem concerned about the liquid sprayed on her, even returning to speaking; however, these claims are unverified. Additional reports indicate that the liquid might have been apple cider vinegar.
The incident came on the same day that more reports of fraud tied to Omar and her husband were breaking across the country, as previously covered by DX. The House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky), has already started investigating Omar’s finances as part of a wider investigation into Minnesota’s billion-dollar fraud allegations.
Following the incident, Omar also posted to X with an update that said, “I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
