Watch: A man was arrested after an unknown substance was sprayed on Representative Ilhan Omar at Minneapolis City Hall

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man sprayed an unknown substance at Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and was pinned to the ground Tuesday during a town hall in Minneapolis, where tensions over federal immigration enforcement came to a head after agents shot an intensive care nurse and mother of three this month.

The crowd cheered as the man was pinned down and his arms tied behind his back. In a video of the incident, someone in the crowd can be heard saying: “Oh my God, he sprayed something on her.”

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Shortly before that, Ilhan Omar called for the abolition of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or face impeachment. Calls are growing on Capitol Hill for Noem to step down after two people were shot dead in Minneapolis to protest deportations. Only a few Republicans came to her defense.

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot be fixed,” Omar said seconds before the attack.

Minneapolis police said officers saw the man using a syringe to spray an unknown liquid on Omar. They immediately arrested him and booked him into the county jail on a charge of third-degree assault, spokesman Trevor Volk said. Forensic experts went to the scene.

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Police identified the man as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak. It was not immediately clear whether Kazmierczak has an attorney. The county public defender’s office could not immediately be reached.

Omar continued to speak for another 25 minutes after security removed the man, saying she would not be intimidated.

There was a strong vinegar-like smell after the man pushed the syringe, according to an Associated Press journalist who was there. Images of the device, which fell to the ground when it was tackled, showed what appeared to be a light brown liquid inside. There was no immediate comment from officials on what it was.

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Minneapolis Assemblywoman Latricia Vitao said some of the substance came into contact with her and state Sen. Bobby Jo Champion. She described it as a very disturbing experience.

No one in the crowd of about 100 people had any noticeable physical reaction to the substance.

Omar says she is fine and a “survivor”

Omar said, as she came out afterward, that she felt a little confused but was not hurt. She was scheduled to be examined by a medical team.

She later posted on social media platform

The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday night.

President Donald Trump has frequently criticized the congresswoman and intensified his verbal attacks on her in recent months as he shifted his focus to Minneapolis. During a cabinet meeting in December, he described it as “rubbish.”

Hours earlier Tuesday, the president criticized Omar while speaking to a crowd in Iowa, saying his administration would only allow immigrants who “can show they love our country.”

“They should be proud, not like Ilhan Omar,” he said, drawing boos when her name was mentioned.

He added: “It comes from a country that is a disaster. So, I think it might have been taken for granted – it’s not even a country.”

Omar is an American citizen who fled her birthplace, Somalia, with her family when she was eight years old when civil war tore the country apart.

minneapolis st. The Poole region is home to about 84,000 people of Somali origin — nearly one-third of the Somalis living in the United States.

Officials condemn the attack

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz expressed gratitude that Omar was kept safe, adding in a post on X: “Our state has been shattered by political violence this past year. The cruel, inflammatory and inhumane rhetoric by our nation’s leaders must stop immediately.”

US Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, also denounced the attack.

“I was deeply disturbed to learn that Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked at City Hall today,” Mace said. “No matter how much I strongly disagree with her rhetoric — and I do — no elected official should face physical attacks. That’s not who we are.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, called the attack “unacceptable.” He said he was relieved that Omar was “okay” and thanked police for their quick response, concluding that “this type of behavior will not be tolerated in our city.”

The city is reeling from the shooting deaths of two residents by federal immigration agents this month during Trump’s massive immigration enforcement push. Intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretty was killed Saturday, less than three weeks after Renee Goode was shot and killed while driving her car.

Lawmakers face increasing threats

The attack came days after a man was arrested in Utah for allegedly punching U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, in the face during the Sundance Film Festival and said Trump would deport him.

Threats against members of Congress have increased in recent years, peaking in 2021 following the January 6 attack of that year on the US Capitol, before declining slightly and rising again, according to the latest figures from the US Capitol Police.

Lawmakers have discussed the impact on their ability to hold town hall meetings and public events, with some even citing the threat environment in their decisions not to seek re-election.

After the assault on Omar, the US Capitol Police said in a statement that the agency “is working with our federal partners to see this man face the most serious charges possible to deter this type of violence in our community.”

It also released updated numbers detailing threats to members of Congress: 14,938 “related to statements, conduct, and communications directed against lawmakers, their families, their staff, and the Capitol complex” in 2025.

This is a sharp increase from 2024, when the number of cases was 9,474, according to the USCP. This is the third year in a row that the number of threats has increased.

The Capitol Police have enhanced security measures on all fronts since January 6, 2021, and the department has seen an increase in reports after launching a new center two years ago to process reports of threats.

Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press writers Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, Mike Balsamo, Lisa Mascaro and Michelle Price in Washington, Haley Golden in Seattle and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.