The 56-year-old man who sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) with vinegar in January has been sentenced to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
The incident happened on January 27, 2026 while Omar was speaking during a town hall event in Minneapolis when the suspect ran toward her and sprayed her with the liquid, according to Breitbart News.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that the attacker, Anthony Kazmierczak, was sentenced on Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen, who sentenced Kazmierczak, said, “An attack on a public figure is not a political statement. It is misguided, selfish, and inconsistent with any concept of a free or democratic society,” adding that spraying an elected official with something is terrifying, and Kazmierczak knew it.
The man reportedly has Parkinson’s disease and his attorney argued he had not been taking his mental health medications at the time.
Kazmierczak has since apologized to Omar, according to the AP article.
TOPSHOT – A man is tackled after spraying an unknown substance at U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) during a town hall she was hosting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 27, 2026. (Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty Images)
Video footage of the incident showed Omar standing behind a pulpit, saying “ICE cannot be reformed, it cannot be rehabilitated. We must abolish ICE for good. And DHS Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment.”
Seconds later, Kazmierczak stood up from his seat and approached the lawmaker. He appeared to say, “She’s not resigning, you’re splitting Minnesotans apart” before another man tackled him to the floor:
According to the New York Post, Kazmierczak has reportedly struggled with alcohol abuse as well as mental and emotional health issues.
Another clip showed the incident from a different angle as bystanders asked Omar what he sprayed, to which she replied, “I don’t know.”
“We will continue. These fucking assholes are not gonna get away with this,” she added:
A hazardous materials specialist working with the city’s law enforcement later identified the substance that was sprayed on Omar as water and apple cider vinegar, UPI reported in January.
“Minneapolis Police Department officers responded to the scene and arrested Kazmierczak and jailed him on third-degree assault charges,” the outlet said at the time.
Read the full article here
