Rep. Ilhan Omar Targeted With Unknown Substance at Minneapolis Event, Suspect Arrested [Video]

The room went quiet in seconds after a tense Minneapolis town hall turned into a security scare involving Rep. Ilhan Omar.

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Authorities say Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, was arrested Tuesday night after attempting to spray an unknown substance at Omar while she was speaking to constituents. The congresswoman was not injured and chose to continue the event despite calls from some attendees to step away.

According to Minneapolis police, officers “observed a man use a syringe to spray an unknown liquid” toward Omar before security intervened. The suspect was taken into custody at the scene and later booked into the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault. He has not yet been formally charged.

Witnesses said the man moved down the center aisle and appeared to shout, “You must resign,” before being tackled. Someone in the crowd could be heard saying, “Oh, my God, he sprayed something on her,” adding that the substance had a foul odor.

Moments earlier, Omar had criticized federal immigration enforcement and called for the resignation or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. After the disruption, local leaders urged her to leave and get checked. She refused.

“We will continue,” Omar told the room. “These f**king a**holes are not going to get away with this.”

Police confirmed that forensic scientists responded to the scene. In a statement, officers said Omar “was uninjured and resumed speaking at the event.”

Omar later told reporters, “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.”

The incident comes as Omar remains a frequent target of public attacks from Donald Trump, who mocked her earlier the same day at a rally in Iowa. His remarks again drew attention to the rising threats faced by elected officials nationwide.

U.S. Capitol Police called the act “an unacceptable decision that will be met with swift justice,” adding that they are working with federal partners to pursue the most serious charges possible.