THE SUSPECT ACCUSED of spraying Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar with an unknown substance during a town hall meeting earlier this week has been charged with assault.

Court documents state that a US District Court filed charges against suspect Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, accused of forcibly assaulting and interfering with a US representative who was carrying out official duties, a federal offence.

A supporting affadavit says that the liquid sprayed at Omar from a syringe was likely apple cider vinegar mixed with water, and that years ago, the suspect told a close associate that “someone should kill” her, referring to Omar.

Kazmierczak allegedly rushed at the Somali-American Congresswoman – a frequent target of President Donald Trump’s verbal attacks – on Tuesday evening as she was denouncing anti-immigrant raids in Minnesota and calling for US Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem to resign.

Omar stepped towards her attacker with a raised fist and confronted her attacker after having the liquid, which was later described as having a foul smell, sprayed at her with a syringe.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) assaulted during town hall meeting: "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." pic.twitter.com/Ud5l3yP4lQ

— CSPAN (@cspan) January 28, 2026

He was immediately tackled by security guards and arrested shortly afterwards. He has since been taken into custody.

Kazmierczak has a criminal record, including for drunk driving, and his social media posts express support for Trump, US media reports said.

After the attack, Omar returned to the podium and urged the crowd to not let her attacker ‘have the show’.

Security attempted to stop the lawmaker, but she said “we will continue”. 

“We’re gonna keep talking. Just give me ten minutes. Please don’t let them have the show. Please don’t let them have the show,” she said. 

“Here is 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.”

Omar later shared a post on X to reassure her constituents she was okay.

“I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work,” she wrote.

Rachel Scott, a Senior Political Correspondent with ABC, said in a post on X that Trump denied the attack happened when she asked him about it later.

“I asked him if he had seen the video of Rep. Omar being attacked and sprayed by a substance. “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 president said,” she wrote.

The attack took place three days after federal agents killed a second civilian protester, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis.

The fatal shooting of Pretti and the fatal shooting of Renee Good earlier this month have catalysed growing anger towards immigration agencies and the Trump administration more broadly.

Minneapolis has been shaken for weeks by a massive anti-immigration operation conducted by some 3,000 federal agents and a protest movement against them.

The Trump administration has vowed to conduct its anti-immigration operations in a more targeted way and to prioritise “community safety.”

With reporting from AFP