Man sprays unknown substance on Rep. Ilhan Omar
A man sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar with an unknown substance during an event at City Hall in Minneapolis.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump lashed out at Rep. Ilhan Omar after learning that she was attacked with a syringe at City Hall, accusing the Minnesota lawmaker without evidence of staging the attack.
“I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud,” Trump told ABC News in a phone interview. “Maybe she got herself sprayed knowingly.”
Omar, a Somali-American and a regular target of President Trump, was sprayed with an unknown substance by a man at a Minneapolis City Hall event late on January 27th. As Omar was calling for the abolition of ICE and the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, a man ran up to Omar and sprayed her torso with an unknown liquid. The man yelled something at Omar, but it was unclear what he said.
Police identified Omar’s attacker as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak and took him to the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of assault, Minneapolis Police Department spokesman Trevor Folke said. Law enforcement officials have cited no evidence to support Trump’s claim that Omar himself was sprayed.
President Trump said he had “not seen” the footage of the attack. “No, no. I hope I don’t cause any trouble.”
President Trump has frequently promoted false conspiracy theories, including QAnon, disinformation about magical COVID-19 “med beds,” election theft, and even former President Joe Biden’s execution and replacement by a robot shadowman in 2020.
No one was injured in the attack, but Omar vowed to continue holding meetings as she begged people to stop and seek help. “Please don’t let them put on a show,” Omar said, asking for napkins. “We’re going to keep going… They’re not going to get away with this.”
President Trump has verbally attacked and insulted Omar for years, but has stepped up his rhetoric in recent weeks following revelations of a massive fraud scheme involving state and federal welfare programs tied primarily to Somali immigrant groups.
Hours before the attack, Trump criticized Omar in a speech in Clive, Iowa. President Trump said of immigrants: “We have to show them that they can love our country.” “They have to be proud and not be like Ilhan Omar.”
Trump mocked Omar for wearing a “little turban,” called her native Somalia “dirty, filthy, disgusting, (and) crime-infested,” and said she did “nothing but terrible things.” President Trump said in a January 18 post on Truth Social that Omar “should be sent to prison or sent back to Somalia with worse punishment.”
President Trump has questioned how Omar, a U.S. citizen since 2000, amassed her wealth, and this week announced the Justice Department would investigate the matter. Her net worth soared in 2025 as Rep. Omar recorded income of $6 million to $30 million through her spouse’s stake in a California winery and a venture capital firm, according to financial disclosures filed with Congress.
The attack comes as President Trump ramps up Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal authorities in the state, and as the city of Minneapolis remains on high alert after two Americans were shot.
“I’m fine,” Omar said in a statement regarding X after the attack. “I’m a survivor, so I won’t let this little agitator threaten my job. I won’t let the bullies win. Thank you to the amazing voters who rallied behind me. Minnesota is strong.”
Contributors: Michael Loria and James Powel of USA TODAY
X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.
