UPDATE, 8:59 a.m. Eastern:
According to Newsweek, “Kazmierczak does not appear to have ever been charged with a violent crime in Minnesota. He has twice been convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol, according to court records reviewed by Newsweek.”
The magazine reported that court filings from his 2017 divorce reveal that he has two children, he was not employed at the time, and he was receiving disability insurance payments.
Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, is being held on 3rd degree assault after spraying an unknown liquid from a syringe onto Rep. Ilhan Omar during her town hall earlier this evening. pic.twitter.com/vUY4kdsMXh
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) January 28, 2026
CNN reported that he has been married and divorced twice, using Minnesota’s official marriage and divorce records as its source. CNN also reported that a Facebook account that seems to belong to Kazmierczak, “has a history of political posts, including criticism of Democrats such as former President Joe Biden and former vice president Kamala Harris. In October 2021, he posted a political cartoon criticizing Omar’s security spending.”
Newsweek further reported that after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, “Kazmierczak changed his profile picture to a photo of Trump speaking at a Turning Point USA event. A couple of weeks later, he changed it to a photo of Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, being comforted by Trump. He previously added badges to his profile pictures to show his support for Ukraine.”
The news site then claims to have found an X account from Kazmierczak, which follows “Kirk, Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens, and Benny Johnson.”
The New York Post reported that it talked to Kazmierczak’s neighbor, Brian Kelley, who said that Kazmierczak asked him if he could watch Kazmierczak’s dog on Tuesday night. Kelley said he was planning to attend “this Omar thing,” and that he might get arrested.
“I figured it was nonsense,” Kelley told the Post. “He wasn’t going to do anything stupid. I said, ‘Sure, I’ll walk her.’ But then the next day he said, ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it covered.’”
Kelley told the Post that Kazmierczak “has been ‘heavily medicated’ due to a car wreck that impacted his spine years ago.”
The neighbor told the Post that the car accident “left him ‘not very physically able to do much.’”
“He’s also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s,” the neighbor added.
Original article:
A suspect has been identified in the spray liquid assault on Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota on Tuesday night. He’s Anthony Kazmierczak, 55. Additional information on him has not been made available.
Kazmierczak allegedly charged Omar while she was delivering remarks at a town hall meeting in north Minneapolis.
🚨 NEW ANGLE: A man in the front row of Rep. Ilhan Omar's town hall was tackled after allegedly spraying her with an unknown substance. pic.twitter.com/jhlvfIpMjI
— Evoclique (@Evoclique_) January 28, 2026
As Omar was speaking, Kazmierczak, who was sitting in the front row, stood up approached her with what Minneapolis police have said was a syringe filled with amber liquid. He got close enough to spray the liquid on the congressional representative. He then appeared to stagger to his right, shouting something that on video was unintelligible.
Event security immediately tackled Kazmierczak and restrained him, while Omar herself took a few steps of her own towards him, before returning to the podium area, where she regrouped with her team.
I reported on the details of the meeting when the news first broke.
Members of the audience said that Kazmierczak shouted, “You must resign” to Omar before being apprehended.
Oddly, instead of listening to her team when they told her to be examined, along with the liquid that landed on her clothing, Omar's response was, "That is what they want." She then proceeded to resume her remarks to the audience. She didn't even appear to be intent on treating the affected clothing.
When speaking to the group, she said, "We will continue. These f------ a--holes are not going to get away with this.”
According to the New York Post, those in attendance near the podium said the spray smelled foul, “like vinegar or ammonia.”
Mayor Jacob Frey commented that the incident was “unacceptable,” and then he added that “this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city.” I’m not sure where he’s been, but has he seen the kinds of behaviors in his city of late?
The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) is now investigating and has stated that the suspect who “decided to assault” Omar “will be met with swift justice.”
In a statement, the USCP said, “We are grateful for the rapid response of onsite security and our local law enforcement partners. We are now working with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society.”
This is good news. It means the Trump administration and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson will be in the loop to help ensure the investigation is conducted professionally, thoroughly, and properly.
Kazmierczak was removed from the room, transported to Hennepin County Jail, and charged with 3rd degree assault.
Speaking to reporters after the event, Omar said, "I survived war, and I’m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me, because I’m built that way."
As reported earlier, a large and growing number of X users are suspicious of how this event unfolded. Just based on the first few hours after this story broke, it already feels like a story that will have its share of drama, twists, and turns. Stay tuned.
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