Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar was attacked with an unknown substance during a town hall she was hosting on Tuesday, after an audience member used a syringe to spray liquid at her, Minneapolis police said.
Omar was not injured and continued addressing the gathering despite the incident.
“I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win,” she later wrote on X.
A BBC journalist present at the event said the liquid sprayed on Omar had a sour smell similar to a chemical product.
Police said 55 year old Anthony James Kazmierczak has been charged with third degree assault and is being held in custody, according to the local sheriff’s office.
After the attack, Omar, a Democrat, told attendees that “we will continue… we are Minnesota strong”.
Another attendee, Alfred Flowers Jr, told the BBC that he “respected her courage and strength to still stay and finish the town hall for the people”.
Video from the scene shows members of Omar’s team shouting “make a hole” as they wrestled the man out of the room.
As he was pushed out, the suspect said Omar was “pitting us against each other”. It was not immediately clear who he was referring to.
Kazmierczak was arrested at the scene and forensics were conducted, police said.
In a post on social media, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the attack, saying: “Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis. We can disagree without putting people at risk… This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city.”
Omar became the first Somali American, first African born American, and one of the first two Muslim American women elected to the US Congress in 2019.
About 100 people were attending the town hall in a north Minneapolis basement, where Omar was expected to address concerns over the presence of federal immigration officials following the second fatal shooting of a US citizen by immigration officers in the state this month.
In January, US citizen Renee Good was fatally shot by an immigration officer. Last week, US citizen Alex Pretti was killed after being stopped by border agents, triggering renewed protests and public outrage.
During the town hall, Omar called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be “abolished” and said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should “resign or face impeachment”. The attack occurred after those remarks.
Officials urged Omar to end the event, but she refused.
“We’re gonna keep talking. Just give me ten minutes. Please don’t let them have the show. Please don’t let them have the show,” she said at the podium.
Some residents believe the increased immigration enforcement in Minnesota is linked to President Donald Trump’s criticism of Omar. Trump has previously described her as a “radical left lunatic” and “disgusting”.
On 18 January, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Omar “should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia, considered one of the absolutely worst countries in the World. She could help to MAKE SOMALIA GREAT AGAIN!”
Minnesota is home to the largest population of Somali immigrants in the US.
On Tuesday, Trump said his administration was “going to de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota following the second fatal shooting.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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