Photo: Hennepin County Sheriff's Office/Getty Images
The man who confronted and attempted to spray Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar with a substance during a Minneapolis town hall meeting on Tuesday (January 27) has been identified.
Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, was arrested on suspicion of assault but hasn't yet been formally charged, according to the Hennepin County Jail roster via NBC News. Kazmierczak walked down the middle of a room and attempted to spray a liquid at Omar while appearing to yell "you must resign" before being tackled by a security guard.
A bystander was then heard saying, "Oh my God, he sprayed something on her" and confirmed that they smelled a foul odor. Local leaders who had previous spoken during the town hall urged Omar to leave the room and "get checked" but she refused as she claimed that was "what they want."
“We will continue,” Omar said. “These f*****g a**holes are not going to get away with this.” The Minneapolis Police Department said officers “observed a man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid” onto the congresswoman and confirmed that the suspect was then arrested by officers and booked in the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault.
“Representative Omar was uninjured and resumed speaking at the event,” the department said in a statement obtained by NBC News.
A statement shared on Omar's X account also confirmed that she was "okay" following the incident.
“During her town hall, an agitator tried to attack the Congresswoman by spraying an unknown substance with a syringe," the statement reads. "Security and the Minneapolis Police Department quickly apprehended the individual. He is now in custody. The Congresswoman is okay. She continued with her town hall because she doesn’t let bullies win.”
The attack on Omar, who has long been a target of President Donald Trump, his administration and conservatives, came immediately after she called for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign of face impeachment during her speech.