The Justice Department filed charges Thursday against a man who is accused of trying to spray Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., with a substance from a syringe during a town hall in Minneapolis this week.
Anthony Kazmierczak faces a count alleging that he “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered" with the congresswoman while she was engaged in official duties.
In a separate case, federal prosecutors in Kansas charged a man there with making a death threat against Omar on Facebook.
The affidavit in the Minnesota case alleges that Kazmierczak had previously threatened Omar, as well, telling a close associate years ago that he said, “Somebody should kill that b----,” in reference to Omar.
After Omar called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign at the meeting Tuesday, Kazmierczak appeared to say “She’s not resigning. You’re splitting Minnesotans apart” after he sprayed her, according to the FBI.
"According to Representative Omar, the liquid stained her clothes and may have reached her face and right eye," said an affidavit the FBI filed in support of the criminal complaint.
Omar's office said Wednesday that the substance was apple cider vinegar.
"The town hall meeting was temporarily disrupted and delayed. Representative Omar, though visibly shaken, continued with the town hall and later posted on X that she was okay," the affidavit said.
Omar on Wednesday blamed the attack on President Donald Trump's frequent verbal attacks against her.
“What the facts have shown since I’ve gotten into elected office is that every time the president of the United States has chosen to use hateful rhetoric to talk about me and the community that I represent, my death threats skyrocket,” Omar said at a news conference.
Trump said in an interview with ABC News that Omar “probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Kazmierczak’s social media accounts include multiple photos supporting Trump and criticizing Democrats, as well as at least one post mocking Omar.
Kazmierczak has a criminal record that dates to 1989, when he was charged with and later pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, according to public records. He was ordered to pay $551, the records showed. It was unclear whether he was sentenced to serve time or put on probation.
In 2009, Kazmierczak was charged with driving while intoxicated in Minnesota and pleaded guilty. A year later, he was convicted again of driving under the influence. Divorce records from 2017 showed that he was unemployed at the time and was receiving disability insurance benefits of nearly $40,000.
In the Kansas case, court filings show a man named Adam Lee Osborn was charged with posting a threat against Omar on Facebook under an alias. The filing said that Osborn admitted writing the post and that it was his way of "venting."
He said he "didn't have the means" to carry out such an attack, but he also told investigators "someone" should take action against her and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He added that he hoped his comments would "maybe provoke someone to handle business" and "kill them," the affidavit said.
Attorney information was not immediately available for either Kazmierczak or Osborn.
An NBC News review last month showed Trump's rhetoric against perceived political adversaries often leads to increases in threats against his targets.
U.S. Capitol Police, meanwhile, released its annual report Tuesday about investigated threats related to Congress, which showed that investigations “concerning statements, behaviors, and communications directed against Members of Congress, their families, staff, and the Capitol Complex” shot up to 14,938 last year, compared with 9,474 in 2024.
It was the third consecutive year the number had increased.
