Man sentenced to 14 months for spraying vinegar on Rep. Omar

MINNEAPOLIS (MNTV) — A Minnesota man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for assaulting Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, spraying her with a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar during a January town hall in Minneapolis.

Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, received the maximum term for the federal charge of assaulting a US officer, after prosecutors said he rose from the audience and sprayed liquid at Omar with a syringe while accusing her of “splitting Minnesota apart.” 

Her security detail restrained him; Omar was unhurt and continued the event.

He also faces state charges in Hennepin County for making terroristic threats — which, prosecutors noted, cannot be undone by a presidential pardon.

County Attorney Mary Moriarty called it “a disturbing assault on Rep. Omar, who is frequently the target of vilifying language by fellow elected officials and members of the public.”

Prosecutors argued the attack showed advance planning: Kazmierczak had contacted several people beforehand, arranged care for his dog, and looked up bail-bond services. His filings cited struggles with alcohol, mental-health issues, and a 2022 Parkinson’s diagnosis. 

His social-media posts expressed hostility toward Democrats and support for President Donald Trump, though prosecutors did not establish that Trump’s rhetoric motivated the assault. 

Omar, who came to the U.S. as a Somali refugee, has long been a target of Trump’s anti-immigrant attacks, including his demand that she “go back” to her home country. 

The attack occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a major federal immigration crackdown in the Minneapolis area, during which two US citizens were fatally shot by federal agents.