(MINNEAPOLIS) — The man who was arrested after charging at Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall in Minneapolis has been charged by the Justice Department with assaulting a federal representative, a complaint shows.
He has also been charged in state court with terroristic threats and assault, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said, which called the attack on the congresswoman “disturbing.”
Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, has been charged by federal complaint with “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and officer and employee of the United States.”
He allegedly had a syringe filled with apple cider vinegar when he charged at Omar while she stood at a podium on Tuesday, according to the affidavit.
“I squirted vinegar,” he allegedly said after being tackled by security, according to the affidavit, which included an image of the syringe.
At the time of the incident, Omar was talking about how Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should resign.
“She’s not resigning. You’re splitting Minnesotans apart,” Kazmierczak allegedly said as he was being led away, according to the affidavit.
Following Tuesday’s attack, a “close associate” of the suspect told the FBI that several years ago, Kazmierczak allegedly said, “Someone should kill that b****,” while talking about Omar during a phone call, according to the affidavit.
Kazmierczak was arrested and initially booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault, Minneapolis police said. He has since been charged with one felony count of terroristic threats and one count of fifth-degree assault, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
“This was a disturbing assault on Rep. Omar, who is frequently the target of vilifying language by fellow elected officials and members of the public,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “The trust of our community in the federal government keeping politics out of public safety has been eroded by their actions. A state-level conviction is not subject to a presidential pardon now or in the future.”
Omar has been the target of verbal attacks from President Donald Trump for years. More recently, his attacks have come alongside escalated rhetoric describing the Somali community in Minnesota, the largest in the nation.
Tuesday’s attack came amid tensions in Minneapolis between local officials and the Trump administration over the immigration crackdown in the city that has seen two U.S. citizens killed in shootings involving federal law enforcement.
After the incident, Omar pinned the blame on Trump.
“Blame is very interesting, but facts are more important, and 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.
Following Tuesday’s attack, she told reporters that she won’t be intimidated.
“You know, I’ve survived more, and I’m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me because I’m built that way,” Omar said Tuesday.
According to U.S. Capitol Police data, threats against members of Congress increased by more than 50% from 2024 to 2025.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan told ABC News he was “appalled” by the attack on Omar and is concerned “every single day” about overall threats against elected officials.
“Members of Congress are out there on the front lines, and it’s our job to be able to keep them safe,” he said. “So this rise is something that is very concerning.”
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