Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar has stated that President Donald Trump’s language has directly fueled threats against her. She made this statement a day after a man confronted her and sprayed her with liquid at a public event in Minneapolis.
Omar linked the incident to a long pattern of attacks she says intensifies whenever Trump singles her out. The suspect arrested in Tuesday’s assault has publicly expressed support for the Republican president online.
“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 press conference. When asked whether the episode would deter her from appearing publicly, she added, “Fear and intimidation doesn’t work on me.”
READ ALSO: Republicans join Democrats in condemning attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar
The confrontation happened amid heightened tension in Minneapolis, where two people were recently killed by federal agents as part of an aggressive White House immigration crackdown that has drawn protests and sharp criticism from local leaders.
Omar, who arrived in the United States as a refugee from Somalia, has for years been a frequent target of Trump’s anti-immigrant messaging. After her election to Congress seven years ago, Trump said she should “go back” to her country. In recent months, he has called her “garbage,” urged investigations into her conduct, and contrasted her unfavorably with immigrants he said should be proud of the United States. During a speech in Iowa on Tuesday, shortly before the attack, Trump said immigrants should show pride in the country “not like Ilhan Omar.”
“It’s hard not to see the link between what happened and the attacks Trump has made against Omar personally, not to mention his siege of her city,” said Jeremy Slevin, a former Omar spokesperson who now serves as a senior adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders.
The White House reportedly declined to comment on the incident. Trump later accused Omar, without evidence, of orchestrating the attack herself.
“She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” he told ABC News.
The episode added to growing concern over the safety of elected officials, as a volatile political climate has prompted some lawmakers to curtail public appearances or opt against seeking reelection.
Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington said she could relate to Omar’s experience, recalling a 2022 incident when an armed man came to her Seattle home and threatened her and her husband.
READ ALSO: Trump responds after man sprays Rep. Ilhan Omar with foul-smelling liquid at event
“It has to stop. I mean, we are just trying to do our jobs, and, it could be quieted and could be called out by Trump and leaders in elected office who refuse to go along with it, but they continue to do it, and this is the consequence,” Jayapal told the Associated Press.
Authorities identified the suspect as Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, who police say used a syringe to spray a liquid on Omar during Tuesday’s event. Court records show Kazmierczak was convicted of felony auto theft in 1989, has multiple arrests for driving under the influence, and has accumulated numerous traffic violations. Records also indicate financial distress, including two bankruptcy filings.
Police said the incident occurred after Omar called for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and urged the firing or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Officers immediately subdued and arrested Kazmierczak.
Photographs taken at the scene show a syringe containing what appears to be a light-brown liquid. Authorities have not disclosed what the substance was.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Kazmierczak had not been formally charged or given an initial court date. Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors were still awaiting the results of the police investigation. The Minneapolis Police Department said the FBI has assumed control of the case.
It remains unclear whether Kazmierczak has legal representation. The county’s chief public defender, Michael Berger, said the matter has not been assigned to his office.
Kazmierczak’s social media posts include harsh criticism of former President Joe Biden and attacks on Democrats, whom he labeled “angry and liars.” In one post, he wrote that Trump “wants the US is stronger and more prosperous,” adding, “Stop other countries from stealing from us.”
In another post, he asked, “When will descendants of slaves pay restitution to Union soldiers’ families for freeing them/dying for them, and not sending them back to Africa?”
Concerns about Omar’s safety have persisted throughout her political career. After Trump repeatedly attacked her online during her first year in Congress, then Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested a security review by Capitol Police. Omar later said six officers provided round-the-clock protection for her and her family.
In 2021, she played a recording of a death threat during a press conference. The caller used racist and anti-Muslim slurs, prompting Omar to urge her Republican colleagues to confront what she described as “anti-Muslim hate” within their ranks. A year later, a federal judge sentenced a man to three years of probation after he sent Omar an email threatening to kill her.
Trump has intensified his focus on Omar in recent months as he zeroed in on the Minneapolis-St Paul region, home to about 84,000 people of Somali descent, nearly a third of the Somali population in the United States. He has tied the administration’s immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities to fraud cases involving government programs, many of which include defendants with roots in Somalia.
“I wouldn’t be where I am at today, having to pay for security, having the government have to think about providing me security, if Donald Trump wasn’t in office and if he wasn’t so obsessed with me,” Omar said Wednesday.
The Minneapolis incident followed another recent attack on a member of Congress. Days earlier, a man in Utah was arrested for allegedly punching Representative Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, at a private party during the Sundance Film Festival.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Christian Joel Young, 28, said, “We are going to deport you and your kind” before striking Frost. Young was charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault and felony burglary for illegally entering the bar. A judge ordered him held without bail, and his attorney declined to comment.
Data from the U.S. Capitol Police show threats against lawmakers have risen sharply in recent years, peaking in 2021 after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, dipping slightly, then climbing again.
READ ALSO: Ilhan Omar slams Trump’s “deflection” after targeted online attack
“Almost all of us receive very regular threats,” said Representative Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Omar has recently led the caucus while Casar has been on paternity leave. He described her as “tough as nails” and urged Trump to rein in his rhetoric.
“The point of what these violent actors want is for us to shut up and we just can’t give in to that,” Casar averred.
