They attack Democrat Ilhan Omar, a frequent target of Trump's insults
The president has been targeting the Minnesota congresswoman of Somali origin for months as part of his anti-immigration campaign in Minneapolis.
WashingtonA man attacked Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar while she was speaking at a town hall meeting Tuesday in Minneapolis. Omar, who represents Minnesota, was speaking from the podium when a man stood up in the audience and sprayed her. Police have not yet identified the type of liquid, but it appeared harmless because Omar continued speaking after security subdued the individual.
The incident comes amid a campaign of harassment led by Donald Trump against the congresswoman in recent months. In his repeated attacks and baseless accusations against the Somali community in Minnesota, the president has also explicitly targeted Omar, who is also of Somali descent. In December, he referred to the entire Somali diaspora in the Midwestern state as "trash," and he also singled out the congresswoman personally.
The man has been identified as 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak, and according to police, he used a syringe to spray Omar with an unknown liquid, authorities reported. Kazmierczak has been booked into the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault, according to police. The congresswoman was speaking into her hand.RC of a meeting about the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents last week, amid President Donald Trump's tightening of immigration policies in the Twin Cities. Just before the attack, the Democrat had called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and urged the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, to resign or face impeachment.
"We are Minnesota strong. We will remain resilient in the face of whatever they throw at us," Omar said as she returned to the podium after the attack. In a social media post following the incident, Omar said she was okay and thanked her constituents for their support. "I'm a survivor, so this little agitator won't intimidate me or stop me from doing my job," she wrote to X.
On the same day as the attack, Trump had again publicly attacked Omar during an event in Iowa. "He comes from a country that's a disaster. It probably considers itself, I think, the worst. It's not even a country, is it? It barely has a government," he said at the time, referring to Somalia.
Agents suspended
The attack occurred amid heightened tensions in Minnesota due to the presence of ICE and Border Patrol agents in the state capital. Outrage in the city has grown following the killing of two citizens by federal agents who were protesting against anti-immigration raids. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has temporarily suspended two agents "involved" in the incident. the murder of Alex Pretti on Saturday and stated that it is a "standard protocol" while the investigation is underway. However, it is unknown how many days they will be on administrative leave.
This Tuesday it emerged that at least two CBP officers fired their weapons during the shootout in which Pretti died, according to a DHS report submitted to Congress. The 37-year-old man was subdued on the ground by several agents and shot a dozen times, with the argument that he was acting in self-defense, even though Pretti never drew the gun he was carrying.