What you need to know
• Lawmaker attacked: Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unknown substance during a town hall in Minneapolis. The alleged attacker, identified as a 55-year-old Minneapolis resident, was arrested, and charged with third-degree assault.
• Gun law scrutiny: President Donald Trump said the man fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis shouldn’t have been carrying a gun, though there is no law barring participation in a peaceful protest while carrying a concealed weapon. But Trump also said he does not believe Alex Pretti was an “assassin,” contradicting his top administration officials.
• Tonight: CNN is hosting a town hall with officials and community leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “State of Emergency: Confronting the Crisis in Minnesota – A CNN Town Hall” will air live at 8 p.m. ET and stream on All Access for subscribers.
Catch up on the latest developments in Minneapolis
A man accused of spraying Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar with an unknown substance during a town hall in Minneapolis has been charged with third-degree assault. The alleged attack came hours after President Donald Trump said he wanted to “de-escalate” tensions in Minnesota.
Omar, who was uninjured, said after the incident that she has “survived war” and that she is “definitely going to survive intimidation.” The 43-year-old is a Somali-born refugee whose family immigrated to the United States when she was 12.
Elsewhere, CNN has spoken to an eyewitness who filmed the fatal encounter on Saturday between Alex Pretti and federal agents.
For those just joining us, here are some of the latest developments in Minneapolis:
- Anthony J. Kazmierczak, 55, has been booked into Hennepin County Jail for third-degree assault after Rep. Omar was sprayed with an unknown substance during a town hall yesterday evening.
- Kazmierczak has a history of sharing political posts on social media. He has had prior traffic-related offenses, including two DUI convictions, and has been married and divorced twice, according to public records.
- US officials from across the political spectrum denounced the attack, with some Republicans describing the incident as disturbing and a threat to democracy. Trump, however, said he had no interest in watching the footage of the attack and called Rep. Omar a “fraud.”
- A woman who recorded a video of the fatal encounter between Alex Pretti and federal officials last weekend has spoken to CNN’s Anderson Cooper. Stella Carlson’s video showed that the 37-year-old ICU nurse who treated veterans spent his last moments trying to help a woman who had been knocked down.
- Two officers fired their guns during the fatal encounter with Alex Pretti after an officer yelled “he’s got a gun” multiple times, an initial report to Congress revealed. The report does not specifically say whether the bullets fired from both law enforcement officials hit Pretti. A CNN analysis of available footage of the encounter appears to show an officer remove Pretti’s firearm from his waist moments before he was killed.
- Contradicting a previous statement from top aide and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the president said he does not believe Pretti was an “assassin” but added that he believed that the 37-year-old should not have been carrying a gun. There is no Minnesota or federal law barring participation in peaceful protest while carrying a concealed weapon.
The son of a veteran honored by Pretti with a final salute shares what the nurse meant to his family
Video from 2024 shows Alex Pretti, the man who was fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, honoring a veteran with a final tribute. The veteran’s son weighs in on Pretti’s death, saying he was one of Minneapolis’ “best citizens” and treated his father with dignity.
Ecuador says an ICE agent tried to enter its consulate
The Ecuadorian government said a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent attempted to enter its consulate in Minneapolis, prompting it to send a formal protest note to US authorities “so that acts of this nature are not repeated at any of Ecuador’s consular offices in the United States.” CNN has reached out to both the State Department and ICE for comment.
The Ecuadorian government said a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent attempted to enter its consulate in Minneapolis, prompting it to send a formal protest note to US authorities “so that acts of this nature are not repeated at any of Ecuador’s consular offices in the United States.” CNN has reached out to both the State Department and ICE for comment.
Hardline immigration enforcer acknowledges possible breach of protocol before Pretti shooting
Top White House aide Stephen Miller said that officials were evaluating why Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis “may not have been following” proper protocol before the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. CNN’s Kristen Holmes reports.
Rideshare driver details "absurd" confrontation with Border Patrol commander Bovino
A Somali-American rideshare driver in Minneapolis is speaking out after his encounter with Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino. He told his story to CNN’s Erin Burnett.
A Somali-American rideshare driver in Minneapolis is speaking out after his encounter with Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino. He tells his story to CNN’s Erin Burnett.
The man accused of assaulting Rep. Ilhan Omar has history of political posts on social media
Anthony “Andy” James Kazmierczak, the man accused of assaulting Democratic US Rep. Ilhan Omar at a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday, has a history of sharing political posts on social media.
In 2021, he shared a political cartoon criticizing Omar’s stance on security spending amid calls to defund police. And in recent months, he added profile‑picture badges expressing support for both Israel and Ukraine. He has also reposted transphobic content from conservative commentator Ben Shapiro about transgender athletes.
After conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death in September, Kazmierczak changed his profile picture to an image of Donald Trump speaking at a Turning Point USA event, later replacing it with a photo of Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk alongside Trump. In September, he wrote on a Turning Point USA local chapter’s Facebook page that Charlie Kirk had been “in my life” for eight years.
Kazmierczak has prior traffic‑related offenses, including two DUI convictions, court records show. He has been married and divorced twice, according to Minnesota’s official marriage and divorce records.
His Facebook profile presents the 55-year-old Minneapolis resident as a suburban father of two daughters and a Minnesota Vikings fan. He describes himself as an “empty nester looking to enjoy retirement and 2nd half of my adventure.”
"I’ve survived war": Rep. Ilhan Omar defiant after spray attack
Democratic US Rep. Ilhan Omar, who was not injured in the attack, said that she has “survived war” and that she is “definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me because I’m built that way.”
Omar and her family escaped civil war in Somalia when she was a child and sought asylum in the US after years in a refugee camp in Kenya.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) answered questions after a man rushed the podium and sprayed a substance at her during a town hall in Minneapolis.
Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked while speaking at a town hall last night. Here's what to know
US Rep. Ilhan Omar continued with a Minnesota town hall after a man rushed the podium and sprayed a substance at the Democratic congresswoman yesterday.
Omar, who was uninjured, ignored staffers’ pleas to end the town hall early and get a medical check. She said after the town hall ended that she had “survived war” and that she is “definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me because I’m built that way.”
Omar condemned federal immigration agents’ “terrorizing” tactics and “reckless and lawless” actions, as she told attendees that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities is antithetical to “the America we love.”
Here’s what we know:
- The man accused of attacking Omar has been identified as 55-year-old Anthony J. Kazmierczak, a Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson confirmed to CNN.
- Kazmierczak has been charged with third-degree assault and was booked into Hennepin County Jail, according to arrest records.
- It was not immediately clear what substance was sprayed at Omar. City forensic scientists responded to process the scene, a police incident report said, according to CNN affiliate KARE.
- Trump dismissed questions from ABC News on whether he saw video of Omar being attacked, saying he had no interest in watching the footage. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,” Trump said, according to ABC News.
CNN will host a town hall from Minneapolis tonight
CNN will host a town hall with Minnesota officials and community leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, tonight from a community center in the city.
The event will be moderated by CNN Anchors Anderson Cooper and Sara Sidner.
“State of Emergency: Confronting the Crisis in Minnesota – A CNN Town Hall” will air live at 8 p.m. ET on CNN and stream on CNN’s All Access for subscribers.
