Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked with an unknown liquid during a town hall in her Minneapolis district Tuesday night, in a troubling scene that played out in front of her constituents and cameras.

According to Minneapolis police, a man rushed toward the podium and used a syringe to spray Omar with a substance while she was speaking, prompting gasps and confusion in the room.

In the moments leading up to the attack, which was also captured on video, Omar calls for the abolishment of ICE and urged the resignation or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, tying the confrontation directly to her stance on immigration and federal enforcement. 

Security quickly tackled the man, identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, and dragged him out as the audience looked on in shock. Police said he was arrested on a third‑degree assault charge and booked at Hennepin County Jail. Local forensic teams were also brought in to test the liquid.

Omar’s office later said she is okay, and she chose to keep going with the town hall despite calls from local officials to end the event and seek medical care. “We are Minnesota strong,” she told the crowd, framing the attack as part of a broader effort to intimidate her and her supporters. She emphasized that she doesn’t “let bullies win.”  She also thanked the constituents who rallied around her.

The attack on Omar comes just days after Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, the first Gen Z member of Congress, said he was punched in the face at a Sundance Film Festival party by a man shouting racist threats. He was later charged with assaulting an elected official. 

Both attacks highlight a rising climate of harassment and violence aimed at young, outspoken lawmakers of color whose politics and identities have made them targets far beyond social media.