Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Targeted in Assault During Minneapolis Town Hall
Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar was attacked with an unknown substance while delivering a speech calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The incident occurred during a town hall event in Minneapolis on Wednesday 28 January 2026, where a man used a syringe to spray a foul-smelling liquid directly at the congresswoman.
Attack Occurs Mid-Speech on Immigration Policy
Ms Omar was in the midst of demanding that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem either resign or face impeachment when the assault took place. She had just declared "ICE cannot be reformed" regarding the controversial immigration agency seconds before the attacker struck. Eyewitness footage captured the immediate aftermath, with someone in the crowd shouting "oh my god, he sprayed something on her" as security personnel wrestled the assailant to the ground.
Congresswoman Shows Defiance Following Assault
Despite the alarming nature of the attack, Representative Omar refused medical attention, requesting only a napkin to clean herself before continuing her speech after a brief pause. She later stated "I learned at a young age, you don't give in to threats. You look them in the face and you stand strong", demonstrating remarkable resilience in the face of intimidation.
Police Identify and Arrest Suspect
Minneapolis police identified the attacker as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, who was arrested on charges of third-degree assault. Police spokesman Trevor Folke confirmed that forensic scientists were dispatched to the scene to analyse the substance, which one witness described as smelling of ammonia and causing minor throat irritation. Photos of the recovered syringe showed it contained a light-brown liquid, though none of the approximately 100 attendees experienced noticeable physical reactions.
Political Context of the Incident
The attack occurred against a backdrop of intense political division surrounding immigration policy. ICE has become a central component of former President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign, with Minnesota and its twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul specifically targeted through Operation Metro Surge. This has sparked significant protest activity in these liberal-leaning urban areas, where activists have been monitoring ICE officers' movements.
Tensions have escalated dramatically following the shooting deaths of two protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by ICE agents. Ms Omar had recently participated in a news conference alongside a photograph of Renee Good, highlighting her opposition to the agency's operations. President Trump has repeatedly criticised the congresswoman, including derogatory comments about her Somali heritage, despite her status as a naturalised US citizen who fled Somalia's civil war as a child.
Local Community Significance
The Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area holds particular significance in this context, being home to approximately 84,000 people of Somali descent - representing nearly one-third of all Somalis living in the United States. This demographic reality adds layers of complexity to the immigration debate playing out in Minnesota's political landscape.
Following the incident, Ms Omar's office released a statement confirming she was unharmed. The congresswoman later took to social media platform X to declare "I'm a survivor so this small agitator isn't going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don't let bullies win", reinforcing her determination to continue her political advocacy despite the violent interruption.
