Violence Erupts at Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar's Town Hall as Man Charges Podium with Liquid
A chaotic scene unfolded on Tuesday night during a town hall event hosted by US Representative Ilhan Omar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when a man charged the podium where she was speaking and sprayed an unknown liquid at her.
The 55-year-old suspect, Anthony Kazmierczak, appeared to squirt a non-toxic substance from a syringe at Rep. Omar before being tackled to the ground by a security guard after a brief struggle. He has been arrested and booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault.
According to preliminary reports, the liquid was found to be non-toxic, but authorities are still investigating the incident. The Minneapolis Police Department stated that they are working closely with federal agencies, including the FBI, which is now leading the investigation.
Rep. Omar took to the stage to continue her remarks after the disturbance, using profanity in a statement, and later told reporters she would not be intimidated by the attack. She attributed her ability to survive such intimidation to her background as a Somali-American Muslim woman.
President Donald Trump had previously attacked Rep. Omar on social media, calling her a "fake sleazebag" and accusing her of staging the incident herself, but did not comment on the actual event.
The FBI is now leading the investigation into the attack, which comes amid rising tensions between local officials in Minneapolis and the Trump administration over immigration policies. The city has seen two US citizens killed in shootings involving federal agents in recent weeks.
Threats against members of Congress increased for the third year in a row last year, with Capitol Police investigating 14,938 concerning statements, behaviors, and communications directed at lawmakers.
A chaotic scene unfolded on Tuesday night during a town hall event hosted by US Representative Ilhan Omar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when a man charged the podium where she was speaking and sprayed an unknown liquid at her.
The 55-year-old suspect, Anthony Kazmierczak, appeared to squirt a non-toxic substance from a syringe at Rep. Omar before being tackled to the ground by a security guard after a brief struggle. He has been arrested and booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault.
According to preliminary reports, the liquid was found to be non-toxic, but authorities are still investigating the incident. The Minneapolis Police Department stated that they are working closely with federal agencies, including the FBI, which is now leading the investigation.
Rep. Omar took to the stage to continue her remarks after the disturbance, using profanity in a statement, and later told reporters she would not be intimidated by the attack. She attributed her ability to survive such intimidation to her background as a Somali-American Muslim woman.
President Donald Trump had previously attacked Rep. Omar on social media, calling her a "fake sleazebag" and accusing her of staging the incident herself, but did not comment on the actual event.
The FBI is now leading the investigation into the attack, which comes amid rising tensions between local officials in Minneapolis and the Trump administration over immigration policies. The city has seen two US citizens killed in shootings involving federal agents in recent weeks.
Threats against members of Congress increased for the third year in a row last year, with Capitol Police investigating 14,938 concerning statements, behaviors, and communications directed at lawmakers.
So this is what happens when you politicize everything, including personal attacks! 
Rep. Omar thinks she's above criticism because of her background, but this guy could've been a Trump supporter or someone who just got fed up with all the noise in DC 
. The fact that President Trump didn't comment on it doesn't mean he wasn't watching - it means he was smart about it 
. Meanwhile, Rep. Omar is playing the victim card and expecting everyone to be coddled? Give me a break! 
As for the investigation, I hope they get to the bottom of this but also keep in mind that these threats against members of Congress are getting out of hand - we need to take action before someone gets hurt 
.
! I mean, i know rep Omar has had it out with president trump on social media before, but to actually have someone try to hurt her like that is just crazy talk 
. And the fact that president trump didnt comment on it either, its like he's trying to cover something up 
. I'm glad rep omar was able to brush it off and keep talking though, she's a strong woman for sure 
. And what really gets me is that we're seeing more threats against members of congress every year, its like people are getting more and more worked up over nothing 
. We need to find a way to calm everyone down and have some civil discourse 
.
this is crazy 
i feel bad for Rep. Omar, she's just trying to do her job and engage with her community, but this stuff happens all the time now... 
. But what really gets me is how this whole thing ties into all the crazy stuff happening in the US right now 
. And, on a side note, I was listening to our civics class today and we talked about the importance of protecting public figures 
. I'm still trying to process what happened last night... a man just charges the stage with some weird liquid and tries to attack Rep Omar 
. It's not okay to try and hurt someone like that.
. That's not just an attack, that's attempted assassination. Get over your own ego and stop trying to deflect attention away from this real issue.
. We need better security measures in place to protect our leaders, not just make them feel safe, but actually be protected when they're speaking out against injustice.
.
I'm so shook by this incident, fam! I mean, who does that?! 
And btw, I'm glad she's safe and sound - her bravery as a Somali-American Muslim woman is truly inspiring 
. We need more unity and less hate in this country 
Can't we all just get along? 
.
. And what's with the tweet storm from Trump? Like, dude, if you can't even leave her alone, why are you makin' a scene about it? 
This is so messed up! Can't believe some dude had to spray someone with liquid just 'cause they're speaking out against the system. What's wrong with people these days? Rep Omar's right to be shaken up, but she's still a strong woman and shouldn't have to go through this. 
. And what's up with the guy who did it? Anthony Kazmierczak or whatever - sounds like a real piece of work 
. Non-toxic substance, yeah right... I'm sure that's exactly what Rep. Omar wanted to hear after she got squirted 
.
.
. Can't we all just agree to disagree without resorting to violence or hate speech? 
anyway, it's crazy how tensions are runnin high over immigration policies right now, i feel bad for Rep Omar and all the other congress ppl gettin threatened like they're not even human 
anyway, gotta give credit where credit is due - Rep Omar is still standin tall even after goin through that trauma 
and i love how she's talkin about her background as a Somali-American woman to show ppl that we're all human no matter what