NOT MY pres drumpf / trump, NOT MY vp vance, their neo-nazi cabinet, and especially the fascist "leadership" of DHS are responsible for the dangerous attitudes that encourage this kind of behaviour by the xenophobic, bigoted, misogynistic, "christian" nationalist who are trying to replace our democratic Republic with an authoritarian theocratic oligarchy a la the fascist heritage foundation's project 2025. Thank God Rep Omar is OK! I love the way she went after her attacker, she was ready for a fight, ready to defend herself!!! From the New York Times and Newsweek.....
Representative Ilhan Omar Is Attacked at Town Hall in Minneapolis
During a town hall with Representative Ilhan Omar in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening, a man rushed the lectern and appeared to spray her with a strong-smelling liquid before he was tackled by security.
The man, who had been seated directly in front of the lectern in the front row, suddenly jumped up as Ms. Omar was speaking and ran toward the podium. He used a syringe to spray her shirt with a substance that smelled strongly of vinegar. As he stumbled backward and pointed at her, a security officer tackled him to the ground, handcuffed him and removed him from the room.
Gasps were audible through the crowd, as well as cries of “Oh my God, oh my God.” Some attendees yelled out, “He sprayed something!” A woman in the crowd appeared near tears.
The Minneapolis Police said the man, whom they later identified as Anthony J. Kazmierczak, 55, was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of assault. A forensics squad was called to analyze the scene, he added.
Ms. Omar, a Democrat who represents part of Minneapolis and has been a frequent target of President Trump, held the town hall in her district of Minneapolis to address the ongoing ICE operations in the city. Hours before, Mr. Trump criticized Ms. Omar at a rally in Iowa and repeated inflammatory remarks about her birth country, Somalia. He said immigrants “have to show that they can love our country. They have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar.”
The assault occurred just after she said: “We must abolish ICE for good. And D.H.S. Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment.”
Her comment mirrored calls by Democratic lawmakers for Ms. Noem, the homeland security secretary, to step down or face impeachment after federal immigration agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis this month.
Ms. Omar, visibly shaken after the assault, insisted to her staff and security that she would continue. She asked for a napkin and told them: “Just give me 10 minutes. I beg you. Please don’t let them have the show.”
Ms. Omar then turned the crowd. “Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand,” she said. “We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us.”
Someone in the crowd later thanked Ms. Omar for staying and continuing after the assault, which had shaken not only her but the entire room.
“I learned at a young age you don’t give in to threats,” Ms. Omar said.
About an hour after the town hall, Ms. Omar posted on social media that she was OK and grateful to her constituents for rallying behind her after the assault. “I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work,” she said. “I don’t let bullies win.”
The U.S. Capitol Police, which investigates threats against lawmakers, said in a statement that the attack on Ms. Omar was “unacceptable” and would 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 agency said.
As video of the encounter quickly circulated on social media, some officials condemned the assault. Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis denounced the attack, saying on X that “this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city,” and that “violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis,”
Representative Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican who has often been at odds with Ms. Omar, said she was “deeply disturbed” by the attack.
“Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric — and I do — no elected official should face physical attacks,” she said in a social media post. “This is not who we are.”
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting.
Lauren McCarthy is a reporter on The Times’s Investigations team who also covers breaking news and other topics.
Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
More on the Unrest in Minneapolis
Don Lemon Arrested: Federal agents arrested the former CNN anchor on charges that he violated the law during a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minn., his lawyer said. Lemon has said he was reporting as a journalist, not demonstrating.
Tracking Protesters: Federal agents use facial recognition, social media monitoring and other tech tools not only to identify undocumented immigrants but also to track demonstrators, current and former officials said.
Minnesota Senate: In an hourslong hearing, state lawmakers heard stories of the use of racial profiling and aggressive tactics by federal agents against state residents.
Trump on Pretti: President Trump called Alex Pretti, the nurse who was fatally shot by federal agents, an “agitator” and possibly an “insurrectionist” in a social media post, repeating efforts by his administration to blame the victims of the shootings.
Border Czar in Minnesota: Tom Homan acknowledged that federal deportation actions in Minneapolis have been flawed, but said there could be a “drawdown” if local officials allow his immigration agents access to local jails.
Diverting from ‘Protocol’: Stephen Miller, a top aide to President Trump, has suggested that federal agents “may not have been following” protocol before the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, after days in which he and other Trump administration officials portrayed the shooting as justified. The federal agents who fired on Pretti have been placed on leave.
Video Shows Ilhan Omar Rushed, Sprayed With Liquid During Town HallPublished
Jan 27, 2026 at 08:27 PM EST
updated
Jan 27, 2026 at 11:08 PM EST
Published
Jan 27, 2026 at 08:27 PM EST
updated
Jan 27, 2026 at 11:08 PM EST
A man wearing a black jacket was tackled to the ground after spraying an unknown substance at Democratic U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar during a town-hall meeting she was hosting Tuesday in Minneapolis.
Audience members cheered as the man was restrained and his arms were secured behind his back. In video footage from the event, someone in the crowd can be heard saying, “Oh my God, he sprayed something on her.” Omar was not visibly injured and continued the town hall in northern Minneapolis after the assailant was removed.
Moments before the disruption, Omar had called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign, saying, “ICE cannot be reformed.”
Omar continued after the attack, "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."
Minneapolis police told Newsweek that officers working at the town hall observed the man "use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid onto US Representative Ilhan Omar."
The man was then arrested and booked on a third-degree assault charge, police say, adding that Omar was "uninjured" and that she resumed speaking at the event.
Minneapolis forensic scientists also responded to the scene. It is immediately unclear what substance was sprayed on the congresswoman.
President Donald Trump has frequently criticized Omar and has intensified verbal attacks against the Minnesota Democrat in recent months as his administration has focused on immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. During a Cabinet meeting in December, Trump referred to Omar as “garbage,” adding that “her friends are garbage.”
Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, denounced the assault on Omar.
“I am deeply disturbed to learn that Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked at a town hall today” Mace said on X. “Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric — and I do — no elected official should face physical attacks. This is not who we are.”
Omar took to X later Tuesday night to say she is "ok."
"I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work," she added. "I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong."
In a statement sent to Newsweek via email on Tuesday night, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said, "We strongly condemn the attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar at her community town hall, which comes after years of racist and Islamophobic incitement against her.
"We call on all members of Congress to condemn this assault, which was entirely predictable. The dangerous incitement that politicians like President Trump, pro-Israel lobby groups like AIPAC, and anti-Muslim hate groups have spent years spewing against Rep. Omar must end immediately.
"We commend Rep. Omar for her courage in continuing to speak out for justice here and abroad, despite the hate and threats she has faced for doing so. The American Muslim community stands in solidarity with her. An attack on Rep. Omar is an attack on all of us and on the rule of law."
Staunch Trump supporter and MAGA influencer Laura Loomer also took to X: "This is the most staged thing I have ever seen in my life. I’m calling for an immediate investigation into whether @IlhanMN Ilhan Omar staged the spraying of her body at her Townhall tonight to distract from new reports over her marriage fraud and accumulation of $30 million worth of wealth on a $180,000 per year salary."
Loomer, a self-described "proud Isamophobe," added, "There must be an investigation into this known fraudster. This looks very staged, and I would not be surprised if Ilhan set this up herself so she could cry victim as President Trump is exposing her and as Congress and the DOJ are investigating her and her husband."
The incident followed the arrest of a man in Utah accused of punching U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, during the Sundance Film Festival and telling him Trump was going to deport him.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Update 1/27/26, 10:52 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
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