A man accused of approaching Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) at a Minneapolis town hall this week and spraying her with a liquid from a syringe now faces charges brought by federal and county prosecutors.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Thursday that Anthony Kazmierczak was charged with one felony count of terroristic threats and one count of fifth-degree assault.
He also faces a federal count alleging that he “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with … an officer and employee of the United States” as Omar was performing her official duties as a member of Congress, according to a criminal complaint filed this week. He could serve up to a year in prison if convicted of that misdemeanor count.
In a social media post, Moriarty suggested the county was pursuing charges even though federal charges were already being brought because a state conviction would not be eligible for a presidential pardon.
“While we have historically worked collaboratively with federal agencies to investigate crimes, that partnership has been damaged by political decisions coming from this administration,” Moriarty said in a video on X. “Threats of violence is a felony-level offense and a successful prosecution will result in a state-level conviction that is not subject to presidential pardon now or in the future.”
According to an affidavit from an FBI special agent involved in the federal case, Omar said that “the liquid stained her clothes, and may have reached her face and right eye.” Hazmat specialists identified the liquid as water and apple cider vinegar. The substance has been sent to a state laboratory for more testing.
According to the affidavit, a “close associate of Kazmierczak” told investigators in an interview this week that several years ago he heard Kazmierczak say of Omar, “Somebody should kill that b—-.”
Kazmierczak also hinted at his political beliefs over the years on social media. The affidavit cites a 2021 Facebook post shared by his account — a political cartoon that depicts Omar critically, showing her behind private security while holding a “Defund Police” sign. Shortly after the assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, Kazmierczak changed his profile picture to Trump at a Turning Point USA event. Later that month, he made his profile picture an image of Trump hugging Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk.
Kazmierczak shared online posts in recent years suggesting that he shared conservative views. In 2022, he shared a post from Republican Minnesota attorney general candidate Dennis Smith declaring that Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) “must go!” That same day, Kazmierczak shared a post criticizing transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. Earlier that year, he shared an image of a car’s rearview window with two stickers: one saying “I stand with Ukraine” and another below it with the letters “FJB” — a derogatory and profane initialism aimed at Joe Biden.
During an initial court appearance by Kazmierczak on Thursday, a judge granted the government’s request to detain the suspect pending a detention hearing on Tuesday.
Representatives for Omar and the Justice Department did not immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment. Jean Brandl, a federal defender representing Kazmierczak, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tuesday’s attack occurred while Omar, whose district includes Minneapolis, was speaking out against the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents last week amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Omar called for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, who oversees that federal agency, to resign or face impeachment.
After Omar said that, a man in the front row rose from his seat, stumbled toward the congresswoman and shouted something unintelligible while aiming a syringe at her, according to a live stream of the event. The live stream showed the man being tackled to the ground and taken away by security.
The suspect, later identified as Kazmierczak, was immediately arrested and booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault, police said.
Omar has sought to connect Trump’s rhetoric to the attack, saying at a news conference Wednesday that “every time the president of the United States has chosen to use hateful rhetoric to talk about me and the community that I represent, my death threats skyrocket.”
Trump has, in recent months, used racist and dehumanizing rhetoric to attack Somali immigrants, often singling out Omar, a Somali American and immigrant. After the town hall, the president told ABC News that he hadn’t seen video of the incident but accused Omar, without citing any evidence, of potentially staging the attack.
“I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud,” Trump said. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Jeremy Roebuck, Niha Masih, Amy B Wang and Alec Dent contributed to this report.
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