Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquid

Assailant tackled after spraying unknown liquid at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)

(Image credit: Octavio Jones / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

A man lunged at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and sprayed her with an as-yet-unidentified substance during a town hall in Minneapolis Tuesday night. Omar appeared shaken by the attack but continued talking for about 25 minutes after security tackled the man to the floor. This “small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work,” she said later on social media. “I don’t let bullies win.”

Who said what

The assailant, identified by police as Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, ran toward Omar with a liquid-filled syringe right after she called to “abolish ICE for good.” Forensic scientists were working to identify the “light-brown liquid,” which had a “strong, vinegarlike smell,” The Associated Press said. U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that the attack was “unacceptable” and would be met with “swift justice.”

The number of investigated threats toward members of Congress jumped more than 57% between 2024 and 2025, Capitol Police said Tuesday. Omar, a frequent target of President Donald Trump’s vitriol, “has had the highest level of death threats,” The Guardian said. “Rank-and-file members of Congress are not typically assigned Capitol Police security details,” The New York Times said, but former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) approved a 24-hour detail for Omar during Trump’s first term. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) “has not offered her similar protection, even as threats against her have increased.”

What next?

“The cruel, inflammatory, dehumanizing rhetoric by our nation’s leaders needs to stop immediately,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) said on social media. “I don’t think about her,” Trump told ABC News when asked about the incident Tuesday night, hours after he had criticized Omar during a speech in Iowa. “I think she’s a fraud,” and “I hope I don’t have to bother” watching footage of the assault.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.