MINNEAPOLIS (AP) 鈥� A man sprayed an unknown substance on Democratic and was tackled to the ground Tuesday during a town hall in Minneapolis, where tensions over federal immigration enforcement after agents fatally shot an and a this month.
The audience cheered as the man was pinned down and his arms were tied behind his back. In video of the incident, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, 鈥淥h my god, he sprayed something on her.鈥�
Just before that Omar had called for the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to . on Capitol Hill for Noem to step down after the in Minneapolis of two people who protested deportations. have risen to her defense.
鈥淚CE cannot be reformed,鈥� Omar said, seconds before the attack.
Minneapolis police said officers saw the man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid at Omar. They immediately arrested him and booked him at the county jail for third-degree assault, spokesperson Trevor Folke said. Forensic scientists responded to the scene.
Police identified the man as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak. It was not immediately clear if Kazmierczak had an attorney. The county public defenders鈥� office could not immediately be reached.
Omar continued speaking for about 25 more minutes after the man was ushered out by security, saying she would not be intimidated.
There was a strong, vinegarlike smell after the man pushed on the syringe, according to an Associated Press journalist who was there. Photos of the device, which fell to the ground when he was tackled, showed what appeared to be a light-brown liquid inside. There was no immediate word from officials on what it was.
Minneapolis Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw said some of the substance also came into contact with her and state Sen. Bobby Joe Champion. She called it a deeply unsettling experience.
No one in the crowd of about 100 people had a noticeable physical reaction to the substance.
Omar says she is OK and 鈥榓 survivor鈥�
Walking out afterward, Omar said she felt a little flustered but was not hurt. She was going to be screened by a medical team.
She later posted on the social platform X: 鈥淚鈥檓 ok. I鈥檓 a survivor so this small agitator isn鈥檛 going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don鈥檛 let bullies win.鈥�
The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday night.
President Donald Trump has frequently criticized the congresswoman and has stepped up verbal attacks on her in recent months as he turned his focus on Minneapolis. During a Cabinet meeting in December, he referred to her as 鈥済arbage.”
Hours earlier on Tuesday, as he spoke to a crowd in Iowa, saying his administration would only let in immigrants who 鈥渃an show that they love our country.鈥�
鈥淭hey have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar,鈥� he said, drawing loud boos at the mention of her name.
He added: 鈥淪he comes from a country that鈥檚 a disaster. So probably, it鈥檚 considered, I think 鈥� it鈥檚 not even a country.鈥�
Omar is a U.S. citizen who , with her family at age 8 as a civil war tore apart the country.
The is home to about 鈥� nearly a third of Somalis living in the U.S.
Officials condemn the attack
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz expressed gratitude that Omar was safe, adding in a post on X: 鈥淥ur state has been shattered by political violence in the last year. The cruel, inflammatory, dehumanizing rhetoric by our nation鈥檚 leaders needs to stop immediately.鈥�
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, also denounced the assault.
鈥淚 am deeply disturbed to learn that Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked at a town hall today鈥� Mace said. 鈥淩egardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric 鈥� and I do 鈥� no elected official should face physical attacks. This is not who we are.鈥�
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, called the attack 鈥渦nacceptable.鈥� He said he was relieved that Omar 鈥渋s OK鈥� and thanked police for their quick response, concluding: 鈥淭his kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city.鈥�
The city has been reeling from the fatal shootings of two residents by federal immigration agents this month during Trump’s massive immigration enforcement surge. Intensive care unit nurse , less than three weeks after was behind the wheel of her vehicle.
Lawmakers face rising threats
The attack came days after a man was for allegedly punching U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat from Florida, in the face during the and saying Trump was going to deport him.
Threats against members of Congress have increased in recent years, peaking in 2021 in the aftermath of that year鈥檚 Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, before dipping slightly only to climb again, according to the most recent figures from the .
Lawmakers have discussed the impact on their ability to hold town halls and public events, with some even citing the threat environment in their decisions not to seek reelection.
Following the assault on Omar, U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that the agency was 鈥渨orking with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society.鈥�
It also released updated numbers detailing threats to members of Congress: 14,938 鈥渃oncerning statements, behaviors, and communications directed against lawmakers, their families, staff and the Capitol Complex” in 2025.
That is a sharp increase from 2024, when the number of cases was 9,474, according to USCP. It is the third year in a row that the number of threats has increased.
Capitol Police have beefed up security measures across all fronts since Jan. 6, 2021, and the department has seen increased reporting after a new center was launched two years ago to process reports of threats.
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Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Mike Balsamo, Lisa Mascaro and Michelle Price in Washington, Hallie Golden in Seattle and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.
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