Man who squirted apple cider vinegar on Omar is charged with assaulting and intimidating her
Minneapolis (AP) — The Justice Department charged a man accused of spraying Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar with a liquid containing water and apple cider vinegar at an event in Minneapolis, according to federal court papers made public Thursday.
The federal case centers on an attack that authorities said occurred Tuesday, and it names the defendant as Anthony Kazmierczak. Federal prosecutors said Kazmierczak faces a charge of forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding and intimidating Omar, as described in a complaint filed in federal court.
Authorities said the substance used in the attack was water and apple cider vinegar. An affidavit provided with the court papers says that after Kazmierczak sprayed Omar, he appeared to say, “She’s not resigning. You’re splitting Minnesotans apart.”
The affidavit also describes statements prosecutors said Kazmierczak made to a close associate several years earlier, saying “somebody should kill” Omar. Federal officials also alleged that Kazmierczak told the associate this years earlier, according to the court documents.
Kazmierczak appeared briefly in federal court Thursday afternoon. Jean Brandl, his attorney, told the judge that her client was unmedicated at the time of the incident and that he has not had access to medications he needs to treat Parkinson’s disease and other serious conditions.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Dulce Foster ordered that Kazmierczak remain in custody. Foster also told officials he needs to see a nurse when he is transferred to the Sherburne County Jail, according to the court proceedings described in the filings.
Kazmierczak also faces state charges in Hennepin County, where the county attorney said the case includes terroristic threats and fifth-degree assault. Mary Moriarty said Thursday that the incident was a “disturbing assault on Rep. Omar” and criticized what she described as how politics has been entering public safety, adding that a state-level conviction would not be subject to a presidential pardon.
The attack came as Omar has faced what she has described as escalating threats tied to political rhetoric about her. In remarks to reporters Wednesday, Omar said that every time the president has used “hateful rhetoric” about her and the community she represents, her “death threats skyrocket.” MSI previously reported that the suspect made pro-Trump posts in advance of the spray attack in Minneapolis.
Federal charges were met with praise from civil rights advocates. Nihad Awad, the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ national executive director, said in a statement that the organization welcomed the decision as an “important step toward accountability and justice,” adding that the “dangerous climate of dehumanization” contributes to violent acts that put public servants and entire communities at risk.
The federal papers also describe Kazmierczak’s history, including a felony auto theft conviction in 1989, and state court records showing multiple arrests for driving under the influence and numerous traffic citations. The court filings further note two bankruptcy filings and say prosecutors found online posts supporting Donald Trump, along with criticisms of Joe Biden and other remarks attributed to Kazmierczak.
The case fits into a broader pattern of congressional threats that officials have tracked in recent years. The filings cited figures from the U.S. Capitol Police showing threats against members of Congress increased in 2021 after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, dipped slightly afterward, and then rose again, with officials investigating nearly 15,000 “concerning statements, behaviors, and communications” directed against members of Congress, their families, staff and the Capitol Complex in 2025.