MINNEAPOLIS, USA — A man accused of lunging at Representative Ilhan Omar and spraying her with a foul-smelling liquid during a town hall meeting was arrested on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, after disrupting the event as the congresswoman spoke about immigration enforcement.
The suspect, Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, was taken into custody and booked into the Hennepin County Jail on a charge of third-degree assault, according to law enforcement officials.
Investigators said he used a syringe filled with an orange-coloured liquid before being tackled by security personnel.
The incident occurred as Ms. Omar called for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, joining other political leaders who have criticised federal agencies following two fatal shootings involving immigration officers.
Neighbour Describes Political Views
A neighbour of Mr. Kazmierczak, Brian Kelley, told The New York Post that the suspect frequently shared pro-Trump content on Facebook and held strong negative views about the Minnesota congresswoman.
“He’s a pretty conservative guy” who “doesn’t like Omar,” Kelley said.
Mr. Kelley said that in the days before the town hall, Mr. Kazmierczak had suggested he might be arrested and asked him to look after his dog.
“He said, ‘I’m going to this Omar thing,’” Kelley told the newspaper. “‘This town hall thing.’ And he said, ‘I might get arrested.’”
“I figured it was nonsense,” Kelley added. “He wasn’t going to do anything stupid.”
Mr. Kelley said that Mr. Kazmierczak was “heavily medicated” because of a previous car accident that affected his spine and that he had also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“He doesn’t say much about stuff, but he’ll send articles and posts about different things,” Kelley said.
“I didn’t take him seriously. I’m surprised, but not overly surprised,” he added.
President’s Response
After the incident, President Donald Trump questioned the circumstances surrounding the attack and suggested that Ms. Omar may have been responsible for it.
Asked by an ABC reporter whether he had seen footage of the confrontation, Mr. 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.”
When questioned again, he replied: “I haven’t seen it. No, no. I hope I don’t have to bother.”
Hours before the attack, Mr. Trump had criticised Ms. Omar during a speech in Iowa.
“She comes from a country that’s a disaster,” he said. “It’s probably… it’s not even a country. It barely has a government. They’re good at one thing: pirates.”
The president has frequently targeted Ms. Omar in public statements and on social media.
Omar Continues Event and Responds
Ms. Omar resumed her remarks shortly after the disruption and later addressed reporters at the venue.
“You know, I‘m going to go figure if I am [OK], but I feel OK,” she told CNN.
“I feel that it is important for people, whether they are in elected office or not, not to allow these people to intimidate us, to make us not fight for our constituents and for the country we love.”
She later posted on X that she was unharmed and would continue her work.
“I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work,” she wrote. “I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
Law enforcement officials have not released further details about the investigation into the incident or about the substance used in the attack.
