Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar attacked during meeting

2026-01-28 09:00:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar was attacked with an unknown substance at a town hall where she was speaking on Tuesday when an audience member used a syringe to spray the liquid at her, Minneapolis police said.

Omar was unharmed and continued to speak. "I'm fine. I'm a survivor, so this little provocateur won't scare me away from doing my job. I won't let bullies win," she later wrote on X.

The liquid sprayed on Omar had a sour smell that resembled a chemical product, according to a BBC reporter in the room. Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, has been charged with third-degree assault and is being held in custody, according to the local sheriff's office.

After the incident, Omar, a Democrat, told the floor that "we will continue... we are strong like Minnesota."

Another participant, Alfred Flowers Jr, told the BBC that he "respected her courage and strength to stand and finish the town hall for the people."

In a social media post, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said: "Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis. We can disagree without putting people at risk... This type of behavior will not be tolerated in our city."

In 2019, Omar became the first Somali-American, the first African-born American, and one of the first two Muslim American women to serve in the U.S. Congress.

The event was one of a series of regular gatherings organized by Omar, and about 100 people were in attendance at the basement in north Minneapolis, waiting to hear about the presence of federal immigration officials in their city and ask questions following the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by immigration officers this month.

In January, an immigration officer fatally shot U.S. citizen Renee Good. Last week, U.S. citizen Alex Pretti was shot and killed after being stopped by border agents, reigniting local protests and public outrage.

At the town hall, Omar called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be “abolished” and said that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should “resign or face impeachment.” It was after these comments that the man lashed out.

Officials pleaded with the congresswoman to interrupt the town hall meeting, but she insisted on continuing./ CNA, translated by BBC