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Ilhan Omar says she won't 'back down' after town hall attack
Ilhan Omar spoke to a crowd at Karmel Mall the day after a man sprayed a liquid on her during a town hall in Minneapolis. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has the full report.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The man accused of spraying Rep. Ilhan Omar with a liquid at a town hall meeting in Minneapolis on Tuesday night is now facing federal charges for the attack on the congresswoman.
Man charged in Rep. Omar attack
What we know:
Anthony Kazmierczak, 55, was charged Wednesday for the attack at Rep. Omar's town hall in north Minneapolis at the Urban League Twin Cities headquarters.
Rep. Omar had just called the impeachment of Sec. Kristi Noem when authorities say Kazmierczak was the man who rose from his seat armed with a syringe and sprayed a liquid on Rep. Omar. The incident was captured by a FOX 9 camera that was in attendance for the town hall meeting.
According to the charges, the liquid turned out to be apple cider vinegar. The assailant was quickly tackled and arrested after spraying Omar and a defiant Omar – despite urging from others – went on with the town hall.
According to the charges, the liquid stained Omar's clothes and may have splashed her face and eyes.
Anthony Kazmierczak is charged with assaulting Rep. Ilhan Omar by spraying her with apple cider vinegar.
What they're saying:
Speaking with Minneapolis police, Kazmierczak allegedly said something to the effect of "I squirted vinegar," the complaint states. In the complaint, FBI investigators also say they spoke with a "close associate" of Kazmierczak who claimed that Kazmierczak spoke about Rep. Omar in a phone call years ago. During the call, the associate claims that Kazmierczak suggested that "someone should kill that b----" in reference to Omar.
Speaking Wednesday evening, Rep. Omar vowed not to let the attack stop her from speaking out.
"I think my presence here should tell you that fear and intimidation doesn’t work on me. The President’s rhetoric, the attacks from him since I’ve gotten into public office have always been to stop me from being in public service," Omar said. "To intimidate me, to make me want to quit and my only message is it hasn’t worked thus far and it’s not going to work in the future."
State charges filed
Local perspective:
Thursday afternoon, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced her office had brought state charges against Kazmierczak for the attack.
Kazmierczak is charged with threats of violence and assault for the attack. The Hennepin County complaint alleges that Kazmierczak told Omar that "you should f--king die" during the attack.
In a statement, Moriarty writes: "This was a disturbing assault on Rep. Omar, who is frequently the target of vilifying language by fellow elected officials and members of the public. The trust of our community in the federal government keeping politics out of public safety has been eroded by their actions. A state-level conviction is not subject to a presidential pardon now or in the future."
What's next:
Kazmierczak was released from Hennepin County Jail Thursday morning to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Kazmierczak was charged under U.S. Code 111 and could face up to eight years behind bars.