A man who recorded himself accusing Representative Ilhan Omar of spraying him with a syringe has been labeled a “thug” by his brother, who said he has held a long-standing “hate” against the Somali community. Speaking from North Carolina, the estranged sibling, who wished to remain unnamed, expressed his disgust following the incident at a public meeting in Minneapolis.
“I’m not surprised this happened,” he remarked, adding that both his brother, Anthony Kazmierczak, and their mother lean toward right-wing extremism.
Kazmierczak, 55, was reportedly filmed confronting Omar while criticizing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. He was at a podium at City Hall when he abruptly yelled something unintelligible, pulled out a syringe, and sprayed her with a brown liquid, causing panic among attendees. It was later revealed that the liquid was apple cider vinegar.
The brother indicated that Kazmierczak has harbored prejudice against the Somali community for about two decades. “There’s a reason I don’t talk to him… he’s filled with anger, but I’m not sure why,” he shared, mentioning his brother’s history with therapy since childhood.
Kazmierczak was subdued by a security guard, arrested by Minneapolis police, and charged with third-degree assault.
Omar continued her speech even after the altercation, suggesting that the attack stemmed from frustration over the lack of Somali deportations. “The man who attacked me was particularly angry that President Trump’s order to deport Somalis was not deporting enough Somalis,” she stated.
A neighbor of Kazmierczak recalled that he had sent a cryptic email before the incident, hinting at a possibility of being arrested. “He mentioned going to Omar’s case and that this was about City Hall. I didn’t take him seriously,” the neighbor said, although expressing surprise at the event’s outcome.
This neighbor described Kazmierczak as a “pretty conservative guy” who doesn’t have a favorable view of Omar. He noted that Kazmierczak had been on significant medication following a car accident that left him with a spinal injury, and later Parkinson’s disease.
