The man who squirted liquid from a syringe onto Representative Ilhan Omar in Minneapolis on Tuesday night had for years posted online about his anger at Democrats and had recently told a neighbor that he might be arrested at an event featuring the congresswoman.
The man, Anthony J. Kazmierczak, 55, was tackled to the ground after spraying a brownish liquid smelling of vinegar at Ms. Omar, who was speaking at a town hall event in North Minneapolis. He is now in jail on suspicion of assault while prosecutors determine what charges to file against him.
On Facebook, Mr. Kazmierczak, who went by Andy, frequently wrote and shared posts from others about conservative issues, including some that criticized Democratic lawmakers. Ms. Omar was the subject of one post he shared in 2021, a political cartoon that criticized her for hiring security as she made a push to restructure or decrease funding for the Minneapolis Police Department after a police officer killed George Floyd.
More than four years later, it was members of Ms. Omar’s security who tackled Mr. Kazmierczak to the ground in the basement of the Urban League’s offices, where her event took place.
In an interview, Mr. Kazmierczak’s mother, Merrikay Olson Baxendale, said her son grew up in a mostly conservative family. She defended him as a sensitive man who had depression and Parkinson’s disease.
Ms. Baxendale said that many of her son’s friends are not conservative, something that may have grated on him.
“The majority of our family is conservative,” she said. Since the attack, Ms. Baxendale, who lives out of the state, said she had received vicious email messages.
Mr. Kazmierczak had recently told a neighbor that he was going to attend an event held by Ms. Omar and that he might be arrested. The neighbor, Brian Kelley, said he did not anticipate from that conversation that Mr. Kazmierczak meant that he was going to attack the congresswoman.
Mr. Kazmierczak lives in a one-story duplex in South Minneapolis, near Lake Harriet, in a quiet neighborhood that is home to many families. On the lawn sit two wooden Adirondack chairs, near a wind chime and a small Minnesota state flag. Next to his entry door on Wednesday sat a shovel, broom, bucket and cleaning products, as well as a pile of what appeared to be used dog waste baggies.
Court records do not indicate that Mr. Kazmierczak had ever been charged with a violent crime in Minnesota, though he was convicted in 1989 of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and twice, in 2009 and 2010, of driving while under the influence of alcohol. The first drunken driving incident took place just days after his wife at the time, with whom he shares two children, now 22 and 20, had filed for divorce.
He remarried in 2013, and four years later, that marriage also ended in divorce. Patrice Benoit, his wife from that marriage, said that she had not spoken with him since 2017 but was “heartbroken” after learning about the attack. She said she wished “peace, strength and healing” for Ms. Omar, as well as for Mr. Kazmierczak’s family.
Mr. Kazmierczak had twice filed for bankruptcy, most recently in 2019, when he said he owed creditors about $95,000 in medical, credit card and other debt. He said he had sold most of his possessions on eBay over the past two years to pay for living expenses. Other court filings indicate that he has been unemployed and receiving disability insurance payments.
On Facebook, Mr. Kazmierczak showed his support for President Trump; Turning Point USA, the group founded by Charlie Kirk; and other conservative figures, as well as Israel and Ukraine. In 2022, he shared a news article about a candidate challenging Representative Cori Bush of Missouri, a progressive lawmaker who, along with Ms. Omar, is part of a group called “the Squad.” Ms. Omar, a Democrat, was sworn into Congress in 2019 and represents all of Minneapolis and some of its suburbs.
Mr. Kazmierczak also showed support for Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted after shooting three people who chased him during a protest over a police shooting in Wisconsin in 2020. In other posts, Mr. Kazmierczak called former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. “spineless” in his dealings with Russia and Ukraine, defended police officers accused of crimes and was critical of policies requiring Covid vaccinations. His nonpolitical posts were largely about his dog, motorcycles or his children — and, in one case, a trip to Chicago.
Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County attorney, said her office was reviewing charging options against Mr. Kazmierczak. She said preliminary reports indicated that the substance he sprayed on Ms. Omar and those standing near her was “not toxic.”
It is possible, she said, that federal prosecutors could also bring charges against him.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Kazmierczak was being held in the Hennepin County jail, and shown in a mug shot wearing an orange jumpsuit, his hair tousled and bags under his eyes.
Anushka Patil, Reis Thebault and Mitch Smith contributed reporting. Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports for The Times on national stories across the United States with a focus on criminal justice.
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