--- title: Suspect in Ilhan Omar Attack Identified: Here's What We Know description: At a town hall event in Minneapolis, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was sprayed by an attacker with liquid in a syringe. canonical: https://time.com/7358466/ilhan-omar-attack-suspect-minneapolis-town-hall/ author: Philip Wang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-01-28T16:43:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-28T21:41:56.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Suspect in Ilhan Omar Attack Identified: Here's What We Know og:description: Omar was sprayed by an attacker with liquid in a syringe during a town hall event in Minneapolis og:url: https://time.com/7358466/ilhan-omar-attack-suspect-minneapolis-town-hall/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43476f752d161973/6998cd387323af7ac12bd2f5/GettyImages-2257991193.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-OMAR og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Suspect in Ilhan Omar Attack Identified: Here's What We Know twitter:description: Omar was sprayed by an attacker with liquid in a syringe during a town hall event in Minneapolis twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt43476f752d161973/6998cd387323af7ac12bd2f5/GettyImages-2257991193.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Suspect Who Attacked Ilhan Omar Is Identified. Here’s What We Know > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Philip Wang](https://time.com/author/philip-wang/)  ## Philip Wang Updated: Jan 28, 2026 9:41 PM UTCPublished: Jan 28, 2026 4:43 PM UTC  A man is tackled after spraying an unknown substance at Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall in Minneapolis, on Jan. 27, 2026. A man is tackled after spraying an unknown substance at Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall in Minneapolis, on Jan. 27, 2026. Octavio Jones—AFP via Getty Images  by [Philip Wang](https://time.com/author/philip-wang/)  ## Philip Wang Updated: Jan 28, 2026 9:41 PM UTCPublished: Jan 28, 2026 4:43 PM UTC During a town hall event in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota was sprayed with unknown liquid in a syringe before the attacker was tackled and removed by security. The suspect has been identified by Minneapolis Police as 55-year-old Anthony J. Kazmierczak, multiple outlets reported. He was arrested on suspicion of third degree assault. The police investigation is still ongoing. Read more: [Trump Tries to Quell Growing Backlash to Minneapolis Shooting](https://time.com/7357964/trump-homan-ice-minneapolis/) Court documents show Kazmierczak was convicted of driving while impaired in two separate incidents in 2010 and in 2009\. On Facebook, Kazmierczak has switched his profile pictures to Trump many times while also uploading cartoons criticizing Democrats’ policies. In January 2025, a Quora account under the same name and profile picture as Kazmierczak’s Facebook account [posted](https://www.quora.com/profile/Andy-Kazmierczak/questions) a racist question regarding descendants of slaves paying restitution to Union soldiers’ families. Video [footage](https://www.c-span.org/clip/public-affairs-event/rep-ilhan-omar-assaulted-by-audience-member-at-town-hall-meeting/5191018) shows Omar was calling for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Kristi Noem to resign when the suspect jumped in front of her and sprayed the liquid on her shirt. The staffers on the scene said in the video that the liquid had a strong smell. Local media [reported](https://spokesman-recorder.com/2026/01/27/ilhan-omar-sprayed-town-hall/) the liquid had an orange color and emitted a strong vinegar-like odor. Following the incident, the town hall was briefly halted. Omar, while visibly shaken, insisted on continuing the event and called for Minnesotans to stay strong and resilient. She later posted on X that she was OK. “This moment in U.S. history and particularly in Minnesota requires all of us to be working together to preserve our democracy. When we say we are going to put our lives on the line for what is our right, we mean that, ” Omar said in her speech following the attack. Asked on Tuesday if he had seen the video footage, President Trump told ABC News that he had not, but suggested the attack on Omar was staged. Omar is one of a handful of Democrats Trump has repeatedly attacked over the years, and suggested the Congresswoman, who is a U.S. citizen, should be deported. In recent weeks, Trump has tried to tie Omar to a fraud scandal in her home state, claiming without evidence that she’s worth $44 million, and calling for the Department of Justice to investigate her. “I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud,” Trump said Tuesday. Local officials in Minneapolis were united in defending Omar and condemning the attacker. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey [posted](https://x.com/MayorFrey/status/2016325592967241760?s=20) on X that “violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis.” Minneapolis City Council Member LaTrisha Vitaw, who attended the town hall event, said the attack was “unacceptable and deeply concerning.” “Despite this, my fellow elected officials and I remain committed to serving and representing the people of Minneapolis,” she [said](https://www.facebook.com/minneapolisward4/posts/pfbid02pM2j1FiZJdQ5WkRBJWWLc5NK2n27yoytZi9wX5kYwxp8bEJqekVhosY9eC2m5RxHl) on Facebook. Several congressional Republicans have also voiced their concerns following the incident. Rep. Lawler of New York and Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri both condemned the attack. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who [moved to subpoena](https://mace.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-nancy-mace-moves-subpoena-ilhan-omar-and-alleged-brotherhusband-minnesota) Omar’s immigration record earlier this month, [said on](https://x.com/RepNancyMace/status/2016322355434238350) X that she is “deeply disturbed” by the incident. “Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric - and I do - no elected official should face physical attacks,” Mace wrote. “This is not who we are.” _Correction, Jan. 28_ _The original version of this story misstated the timing of a social media post on Quora. It was posted last January, not this month._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7358466/ilhan-omar-attack-suspect-minneapolis-town-hall/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7358466/ilhan-omar-attack-suspect-minneapolis-town-hall/"},"headline":"The Suspect Who Attacked Ilhan Omar Is Identified. 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