According to footage from the scene, the Democratic Representative used profanity against the attacker but chose to proceed with her speech
Police reported that Somali-born US Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump’s federal immigration enforcement efforts, was sprayed with an “unknown liquid” at a Minneapolis event.
The atmosphere in Minnesota’s largest city remains tense following the deadly shootings of anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) activists Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on Saturday by federal agents.
Omar was assaulted during her town hall address on Tuesday evening, where she advocated for ICE’s elimination and called for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to “resign or face impeachment.”
Video from the incident shows a man rushing toward the Minnesota congresswoman and spraying her with an unidentified substance from a syringe. The assailant reportedly yelled “you must resign” before security personnel subdued him.
WARNING! EXPLICIT LANGUAGE:
NEW — Rep. Ilhan Omar was just charged by a man at a town hall event in Minneapolis. Crowd says he “sprayed her” with something.
You can hear Omar demand to continue the town hall — and she’s back to speaking now from the podium.
— Jay O’Brien (@jayobtv)
Town hall organizers encouraged Omar to halt her speech and “get checked,” but she declined, stating that “is what they want. We will continue. These f*ing aholes are not going to get away with this.”
The individual was escorted out of the venue and subsequently arrested on third-degree assault charges. Police identified him as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak. The substance used by the attacker is still “unknown,” authorities noted.
A witness in the video can be heard stating that the material emitted a foul odor. Images from the town hall show the syringe held a brown-colored liquid.
“Representative Omar was not harmed and continued speaking at the event,” police stated. The legislator’s office likewise verified she was “OK.”
When ABC News inquired whether he had viewed footage of the attack on Omar, Trump—who has frequently criticized the congresswoman recently—responded: “No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
The occurrence follows the president’s promise to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota. On Tuesday, media outlets reported that Trump had chosen to remove the controversial US Border Patrol “commander at large,” Gregory Bovino, from Minneapolis after the shootings.