Police identified the suspect as Kazmierczak and said he was immediately arrested.
A man was arrested Tuesday night after attempting to attack U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) with a syringe containing an unknown substance during a town hall meeting in North Minneapolis, authorities and the congresswoman’s office have confirmed.
In a statement shared on Omar’s X (formerly Twitter) handle, her office said the suspect was swiftly subdued by security personnel and officers of the Minneapolis Police Department.
“During her town hall, an agitator tried to attack the Congresswoman by spraying an unknown substance with a syringe,” the statement read.
“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.”
Video from the scene shows members of Omar’s team shouting “make a hole” as they wrestled the suspect to the ground and escorted him out of the room.
As he was being pushed out, the man could be heard shouting that Omar was “pitting us against each other,” though it was not immediately clear what he meant.
Police identified the suspect as Kazmierczak and said he was immediately arrested. Officers added that forensic examinations were being conducted at the scene.
The nature of the substance in the syringe has not yet been disclosed, and no formal charges had been announced as of press time.
Despite the incident, Omar addressed the audience and insisted on continuing the event.
“We will continue… we are Minnesota strong,” she told attendees according to BBC.
When officials urged her to end the town hall for safety reasons, the congresswoman declined.
“We’re gonna keep talking. Just give me ten minutes. Please don’t let them have the show. Please don’t let them have the show,” Omar said from the podium.
An attendee, Alfred Flowers Jr., praised Omar’s response.
“I respected her courage and strength to still stay and finish the town hall for the people,” he told the BBC.
Minneapolis Mayor, Jacob Frey, condemned the attack in a social media post, saying, “Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis. We can disagree without putting people at risk… This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city.”
About 100 people were attending the event, which was one of Omar’s regular town halls.
Residents had gathered to discuss the presence of federal immigration officials in the city and to ask questions following the second fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by immigration authorities in Minnesota 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, incidents that have sparked protests and renewed public outrage.
During the town hall, Omar called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be “abolished” and said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should “resign or face impeachment.”
The attempted attack occurred shortly after those remarks.
Omar, who was elected to Congress in 2019, is the first Somali-American, the first African-born American, and one of the first two Muslim women to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
She represents a state that is home to the largest population of Somali immigrants in the country.
Many residents believe the surge in immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota is linked to President Donald Trump’s longstanding criticism of Omar. Trump has repeatedly attacked the congresswoman, calling her a “radical left lunatic” and “disgusting.”
On January 18, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Omar “should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia, considered one of the absolutely worst countries in the World. She could help to MAKE SOMALIA GREAT AGAIN!”
On Tuesday, responding to the second fatal shooting in Minnesota, Trump said his administration was “going to de-escalate a little bit” in the state.
Investigations into Tuesday’s incident at Omar’s town hall are ongoing.