A federal criminal complaint that was made public on Thursday accused Anthony J. Kazmierczak of assaulting Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, at a town hall earlier this week in Minneapolis. Mr. Kazmierczak used a syringe to spray the congresswoman with apple cider vinegar and water, an F.B.I. agent wrote in court documents.
Ms. Omar, who has repeatedly criticized the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, had just finished calling for the resignation of Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, when Mr. Kazmierczak approached her and squirted her with the liquid, the F.B.I. agent wrote in an affidavit. After the incident, Mr. Kazmierczak appeared to say, “You’re splitting Minnesotans apart,” the agent wrote.
The account from the F.B.I. agent said the liquid stained the congresswoman’s clothes, and may have reached her face and right eye. The affidavit included a picture of the syringe that Mr. Kazmierczak, 55, is accused of using in the incident.
The agent wrote in the affidavit that he had interviewed a “close associate” of Mr. Kazmierczak’s. That associate, who was not named in the court filing, told the agent that Mr. Kazmierczak had years ago said that “somebody should kill” Ms. Omar, the affidavit said.
The agent also referenced a political cartoon critical of Ms. Omar that Mr. Kazmierczak, a Minneapolis resident, had shared on Facebook in 2021. Mr. Kazmierczak had posted frequently in recent years about his anger at Democrats.
Officials said Mr. Kazmierczak was tackled by security officers immediately after Ms. Omar was squirted, and he was taken to a local jail. Mr. Kazmierczak, who is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Thursday afternoon, has not yet entered a plea. It was also unclear if he had hired a lawyer.
At least two other elected officials, State Senator Bobby Joe Champion and LaTrisha Vetaw of the Minneapolis City Council, said after the event that they were also hit with the liquid. The Hennepin County attorney, Mary Moriarty, said on Wednesday that her office was also investigating the case.
The federal crime that Mr. Kazmierczak was charged with is specific to assault or intimidation of federal officers. The statute says that a conviction can lead to a maximum of one year in prison, unless the assault involves “physical contact with the victim,” in which case there is a maximum sentence of eight years in prison.
Ms. Omar’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. The representative carried on with her town hall after the assault and said afterward that she was feeling OK.
“I don’t let bullies win,” Ms. Omar said on social media.
Mitch Smith is a Chicago-based national correspondent for The Times, covering the Midwest and Great Plains.
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