Rep. Ilhan Omar sprayed with unknown substance at town hall meeting

A man sprayed a substance on Rep. Ilhan Omar during her town hall in Minneapolis’ North Side on Tuesday night, Jan. 27.

In prepared remarks, Omar was calling for the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the resignation of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when she was interrupted.

A witness, Nate Lassen, who was seated in the second row during Omar’s speech, said a man sitting in front of him stood up about 5 feet away from Omar and held up a syringe. He said the man made a forward motion with his arm.

In a livestream video of the event, a substance is seen hitting Omar as the man yells something at her. In another video captured live by Reuters, the man is seen being grabbed by a security guard as Omar walks toward him. It’s unclear what the man said to Omar.

Multiple security guards held the man down on the ground as crowd members gasped at the scene. The man was then led out of the room.

Aides rushed to Omar, and crowd members exclaimed that she had been sprayed by something. Multiple people complained of a smell resembling vinegar or ammonia.

“We will continue,” Omar said as others expressed concern for her safety.

“We’re with you,” one crowd member assured her.

“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 said, earning louder applause.

Omar continued speaking and taking questions for more than 20 minutes and did not address the incident until after leaving the podium.

She later told reporters as she walked away, “As I said, I’ve survived war, and I’m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think they can throw at me because I’m built that way.”

Omar’s office said in a statement that she was OK.

Minneapolis police said officers observed a man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid at Omar. The man, who was identified by police as Anthony Kazmierczak, was booked into the Hennepin County jail under suspicion of third-degree assault.

The Minnesota Star Tribune only names suspects before they are charged in rare circumstances.

Omar has been the subject of numerous threats and harassment during her political career. In 2023, she told the Star Tribune that she had a 24-hour U.S. Capitol Police security detail for a monthslong period.

The U.S. Capitol Police, which investigates threats to lawmakers, said in a statement that the suspect’s decision to assault Omar “will be met with swift justice.”

“We are now working with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society,” the statement said.

“When a sitting member of Congress is relentlessly demonized through false anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric, violence becomes a predictable outcome,” he said.

The town hall had heavy security, with multiple squad cars stationed outside and metal detectors at the entrance.

A police crime lab vehicle was seen parked outside the building after the event.