The previously unidentified substance sprayed at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) during her Tuesday night town hall has been identified as apple cider vinegar.
Suspect Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, charged toward Omar while she stood behind a podium at a town hall event in northern Minneapolis on Tuesday evening. The suspect then sprayed her with the substance through a syringe before being tackled to the ground by security.
Omar’s office confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the substance sprayed was apple cider vinegar. Several people at the town hall said they noticed a strong vinegar scent in the air after the man sprayed the substance.
The incident came just hours before Capitol Police released its 2025 threat assessment case annual numbers, which showed about a 37% increase in threat concerns toward members of Congress, their staff and families, and Capitol grounds, increasing from 9,474 cases in 2024 to 14,938 in 2025.
Minneapolis police arrested the suspect on preliminary charges of third-degree assault. Kazmierczak, who has a criminal history with a felony auto theft conviction, is booked in the Hennepin County Jail. The suspect has supported President Donald Trump on his personal social media platforms.
“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,” Omar wrote on X.
The attack against Omar has caused a split among GOP respondents, with some lawmakers showing their full support for Omar after the incident, while Trump said she “probably had herself sprayed.” Trump told White House reporters that he had not seen the video of the attack.
“No. I don’t think about her. I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that. She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” Trump said.
GOP LAWMAKERS BREAK FROM TRUMP IN TAKING ATTACK AGAINST OMAR SERIOUSLY
But several GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who has often sparred with Omar, condemned the attack.
“I am deeply disturbed to learn that Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked at a town hall today. Regardless of how vehemently I disagree with her rhetoric — and I do — no elected official should face physical attacks. This is not who we are,” Mace wrote on X.
Lauren Green contributed to this report.