Federal prosecutors charged Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, with assault on a federal official after he sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar with apple cider vinegar and water during a Tuesday night town hall in Minneapolis.
The incident occurred as Omar called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished and demanded the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during the Urban League Twin Cities event. The town hall was organized in response to President Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota and recent shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents.
“DHS Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment,” Omar said moments before Kazmierczak, who had been sitting in the front row, rushed toward her.
According to the criminal complaint, Kazmierczak ran up to Omar while yelling and sprayed her with a substance from a syringe. The liquid stained Omar’s clothes and may have reached her eye, the complaint states.
Security personnel immediately tackled Kazmierczak to the ground and he was arrested by Minneapolis police. A field test determined the liquid was a combination of apple cider vinegar and water. The substance has been sent to a state laboratory for further testing.
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Body camera video shows Kazmierczak saying something to the effect of “I squirted vinegar” while being arrested, according to the complaint.
Omar was not injured in the attack and continued speaking at the town hall for nearly 30 minutes after the incident.
“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,” Omar told cheering audience members as she returned to the podium.
The congresswoman later wrote on social media: “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.”
According to the complaint, investigators interviewed a close associate of Kazmierczak who told authorities that a few years ago, Kazmierczak was speaking to someone on the phone about Omar and said, “Somebody should kill that bitch.”
Omar has long been a target of President Trump’s attacks. In the weeks before the assault, Trump called Omar a “fake sleazebag” and called for her to be thrown out of the country. At a rally in Iowa on Tuesday afternoon, Trump mocked Omar and her home country, Somalia, saying immigrants must “show that they can love our country; they have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar.”
In a phone interview with ABC News on Tuesday evening, Trump accused Omar without evidence of possibly staging the attack. “I don’t think about her,” Trump said when asked about the incident.
Omar responded at a news conference Wednesday that Trump’s rhetoric directly increases threats against her.
“Blame is very interesting, but facts are more important, and what the facts have shown since I’ve gotten into elected office is that every time the president of the United States has chosen to use hateful rhetoric to talk about me and the community that I represent, my death threats skyrocket,” Omar said.
The FBI has taken over the investigation into the attack. U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that the man made “an unacceptable decision that will be met with swift justice.”
The incident comes amid high tensions in Minneapolis following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers during immigration enforcement operations. It also follows an attack on Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, who said he was punched in the face Friday at the Sundance Film Festival by a man who allegedly told him Trump was going to deport him.
Several lawmakers from both parties condemned the attack on Omar. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it “horrifying,” adding that “political violence of any kind is never acceptable.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican who has previously criticized Omar, wrote on social media that she was “deeply disturbed” by the attack.
“Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric — and I do — no elected official should face physical attacks,” Mace wrote. “This is not who we are.”
Kazmierczak’s criminal record dates back to 1989, when he was charged and later pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to public records. He remains in custody at Hennepin County Jail.
