In Minneapolis federal court on Thursday, Anthony Kazmierczak pleaded guilty to assault after prosecutors reached a deal with him over a Jan. 27 attack at a town hall where Rep. Ilhan Omar was speaking. The Associated Press reported that Kazmierczak, 55, entered the plea in front of U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen and is awaiting sentencing.
The case stems from an incident that unfolded as Minneapolis was already on edge following two fatal shootings of people by federal agents during a White House crackdown that brought thousands of immigration officers to Minnesota, the report said. Kazmierczak’s explanation in court was brief; when asked what he remembered about the assault, he told the judge, “It’s fuzzy.”
Court documents and testimony described how Kazmierczak, who was in the audience during Omar’s January town hall, stood up when Omar called for the ouster of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Kazmierczak then leaped up and sprayed liquid using a syringe, while shouting that Noem would not resign and that Omar was “splitting Minnesota apart,” according to the AP report.
Security officers tackled Kazmierczak immediately after the spray. The report said Kazmierczak told officers that the liquid was vinegar. Authorities later determined the liquid was a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar, and Omar was not injured; the report said she continued with the town hall after the arrest.
During the Thursday proceeding, Kazmierczak also told Ericksen that he was being treated for Parkinson’s disease and described diagnoses that included ADHD and a form of post-traumatic stress, according to the Associated Press account. The report said his then-attorney previously argued that he did not have access to the medications he needed for Parkinson’s and other serious conditions.
The AP report also described Kazmierczak’s prior record and financial difficulties. Minnesota court records cited in the report say Kazmierczak was convicted of felony auto theft in 1989 and has been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence, along with numerous traffic citations. The report said there were also indications of significant financial problems, including two bankruptcy filings.
As authorities and courts pursued the criminal case, the AP report noted that Kazmierczak had criticized former President Joe Biden and referred to Democrats as “angry and liars” in social media posts. It also said the report’s court document details included that he had told a close associate several years earlier that “somebody should kill” Omar.
The AP account placed the attack within a wider context of threats against lawmakers, saying such threats have increased in recent years, peaking in 2021 after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters, before dipping slightly and then climbing again. The report also noted that Omar has been a frequent target of Donald Trump’s rhetoric, including statements after she was elected and comments about the Somalia-born lawmaker.