AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Ilhan Omar Attacked at Minneapolis Town Hall, Vows to Continue Work

Ebony McMorris
January 28, 2026

Reading Time: < 1 minute

(AURN News) — “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem must resign,” Rep. Ilhan Omar said.

Just moments after calling for the abolition of ICE and demanding accountability from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Omar was attacked at her town hall in Minneapolis.

A man, later identified as Anthony James Kazmierczak, walked down the aisle and sprayed an unknown liquid at Omar using a syringe while yelling for her to resign.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., the first Somali-American in Congress, stands with members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus as they announce they will work to limit funding for the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the death of Renee Good, the woman shot and killed in her car by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

He was tackled by security and arrested, then charged with third-degree assault. Omar was not injured and insisted on continuing with the town hall.

The Congressional Black Caucus called the attack outrageous, warning that violent rhetoric, especially from the Right, has consequences.

Omar has been repeatedly targeted by President Donald Trump. She later said, “I’ve survived war. I’ll survive intimidation.”

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.