Ilhan Omar attacked at town hall by man with syringe
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A man is tackled after spraying an unknown liquid at Rep. Ilhan Omar at a town hall in Minneapolis on Jan. 27. Photo: Octavio Jones / AFP via Getty Images
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) was rushed by a man during a town hall Tuesday and sprayed with unknown liquid from a syringe.
The big picture: The attack comes just days after Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) was punched in the face at the Sundance Film Festival and amid a broader surge in threats and violence against lawmakers.
- President Trump and other conservatives have singled out Omar for years. Just hours before the attack, Trump again mocked her, claiming in an Iowa speech she wasn't proud of the U.S.
- The Capitol Police announced Tuesday night, just hours after the incident involving Omar, that the number of cases related to threats against members of Congress rose from just under 9,500 in 2024 to nearly 15,000 last year.
- The Guardian previously reported that Omar had the most death threats of any member of Congress.
Driving the news: In video of the incident, a man can be seen charging towards Omar as she was calling for abolishing ICE and impeaching DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
- Minneapolis police officers who were present at the event "observed a man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid onto" Omar, an MPD spokesperson said in a statement to Axios.
- The man, identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, was "immediately arrested by MPD officers" and booked into county jail, the spokesperson said.
- After being sprayed, Omar brushed off security and advisers who urged her to halt the event, continuing to speak for close to 30 minutes. "Here is the reality that people like this ugly man don't understand," Omar told the crowd. "We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us."
What they're saying: "During her town hall, an agitator tried to attack the Congresswoman by spraying an unknown substance with a syringe. Security and the Minneapolis Police Department quickly apprehended the individual," Omar's office said in a statement.
- "The Congresswoman is okay. She continued with her town hall because she doesn't let bullies win."
- Omar said in a post on X: "I'm ok. I'm a survivor so this small agitator isn't going to intimidate me from doing my work."
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to note the Capitol Police announced the number of threats against lawmakers on Tuesday (not Thursday). It has also been updated with more details and context.
