Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was attacked and sprayed by an unknown substance while giving remarks during a town hall event, prompting lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to condemn political violence.
Moments before the attack, Omar was criticizing the presence of federal immigration officers in her home state and calling for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or be impeached. The event comes just days after a fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, which has elicited bipartisan pushback and even led to President Donald Trump to shift strategies in the city.
Just after Omar called for Noem’s removal, a man sitting near the front of the crowd is seen charging at the Minnesota Democrat and spraying her with what other attendees described as a foul-smelling substance. Security guards then tackled the man to the ground and took him away as Omar returned to the microphone to finish her remarks.
Video footage shows Omar’s team pleading with her to get checked out by a medical team because of the unknown substance, but the Democrat was adamant about giving the rest of her speech.
“Don’t let them have the show,” Omar said. “Please don’t let them have the show.”
Police identified the suspect as Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, whom they arrested on charges of third-degree assault.
Several Democrats and Republicans responded to the attack on social media, denouncing political violence at a time when they are calling to turn down the rhetoric.
The attack comes as Omar has been a frequent critic of Trump and many of the president’s top allies while her home state undergoes investigations and arrests related to government services fraud by Somali immigrants and others. Omar was born in Somalia but has been a U.S. citizen since 2000.
Still, Omar has been a subject of criticism after her net worth skyrocketed over the last year — prompting the president to accuse her of participating in the alleged fraud. Trump announced this week that the Justice Department is investigating Omar.
Trump responded to Omar’s attack late Tuesday night, telling ABC News “I don’t think about her” and “I think she’s a fraud.”
“I really don’t think about that,” he said. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
The attack on Omar is the latest in a number of assaults against lawmakers, which has seen a sharp increase over the last few years.
U.S. Capitol Police reported nearly 15,000 potential threats against lawmakers, their family members or the Capitol itself in 2025 — a sharp increase from the 9,474 potential threats recorded the year before, according to a new report. That’s about a 57% increase over the last year.
The number of potential threats has gradually risen over the years, with only 8,008 reported in 2023 and 7,501 in 2022, according to the report.
