Minnesota man faces federal assault charges over Ilhan Omar attack

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — The U.S. Department of Justice filed charges Wednesday against a man who tried to spray U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar with vinegar during a town hall meeting in Minneapolis Tuesday.

Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, faces charges claiming he “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded” or otherwise intimidated an officer of the United States, according to federal prosecutors.

The Justice Department said Kazmierczak approached the Minnesota Democrat while she was conducting an official town hall, and sprayed her from a syringe in his hand — shouting at her before being brought to the floor by two security officers.

Omar insisted on continuing with the town hall and announced she was okay in a post on X, later blaming the incident on Trump’s repeated verbal attacks on her.

“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 at a news conference Wednesday.

Kazmierczak’s aggression appeared to stem from Omar calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign at Tuesday’s meeting, pointing to the unrest caused by the federal immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.

“She’s not resigning,” Kazmierczak appeared to say after spraying the liquid — ultimately found to be apple cider vinegar — on Omar. “You’re splitting Minnesotans apart.”

The DOJ said in the affidavit that Kazmierczak told a close associate years ago that “somebody should kill that bitch,” in reference to Omar.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz responded to the attack on Omar, saying the state has been shattered by political violence in the last year.

“The cruel, inflammatory, dehumanizing rhetoric by our nation’s leaders needs to stop immediately,” he said in a post on X.

Kazmierczak’s social media accounts include multiple posts supporting Trump. He has a criminal record dating back to 1989, when he pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. In 2009, he was also charged with driving while intoxicated.

Trump mocked Omar once he became aware of the incident, suggesting she staged the attack and calling her a fraud. The president has previously referred to Omar and Somali people as “garbage,” and expressed a desire to “send her back” to her native Somalia.

“The difference between the president and I, is that I was raised to be a decent human being, and my faith teaches me to have compassion” Omar said in an interview Thursday. “He lacks both of those things.”

Omar is the U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, a position she’s held since 2019 — the same district where two Minnesotans were shot and killed by federal agents in recent weeks.

Omar has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “stop terrorizing our communities” and leave the city.

In response to critics who claim the attack was staged because Omar did not follow poison control instructions to seek medical attention right away, the representative said she didn’t do any of those things because she needs to stand up for herself.

“I fear losing my dignity more than I fear losing my life,” she said.