During a town hall with Representative Ilhan Omar in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening, a man rushed the lectern and appeared to spray her with a strong-smelling liquid before he was tackled by security.

The man, who had been seated directly in front of the lectern in the front row, suddenly jumped up as Omar was speaking and ran towards the podium. He used a syringe to spray her shirt with a substance that smelled strongly of vinegar. As he stumbled backwards and pointed at her, a security officer tackled him to the ground, handcuffed him and removed him from the room.

Gasps were audible through the crowd, as well as cries of "Oh my God, oh my God". Some attendees yelled out, “He sprayed something!” A woman in the crowd appeared near tears.

The Minneapolis Police said the man, whom they later identified as Anthony J. Kazmierczak, 55, was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of assault. A forensics squad was called to analyse the scene, he added.

Omar, a Democrat who represents part of Minneapolis and has been a frequent target of President Donald Trump, held the town hall in her district of Minneapolis to address the ongoing ICE operations in the city. Hours before, Trump criticised Omar at a rally in Iowa and repeated inflammatory remarks about her birth country, Somalia. He said immigrants "have to show that they can love our country. They have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar".

The assault occurred just after she said: “We must abolish ICE for good. And DHS secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment.”

Her comment mirrored calls by Democratic lawmakers for Noem, the homeland security secretary, to step down or face impeachment after federal immigration agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis this month.

Omar, visibly shaken after the assault, insisted to her staff and security that she would continue. She asked for a napkin and told them: “Just give me 10 minutes. I beg you. Please don’t let them have the show.”

Omar then turned the crowd. “Here’s the reality that people like this ugly man don’t understand,” she said. “We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us.”

Someone in the crowd later thanked Omar for staying and continuing after the assault, which had shaken not only her but the entire room.

“I learned at a young age you don’t give in to threats,” Omar said.

About an hour after the town hall, Omar posted on social media that she was okay and grateful to her constituents for rallying behind her after the assault. “I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work,” she said. “I don’t let bullies win.”

As video of the encounter quickly circulated on social media, some officials condemned the assault. Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis denounced the attack, saying on X that "this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city", and that "violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis".

The Minneapolis and US Capitol Police were investigating the incident on Wednesday. The attack was the latest reflection of the charged political climate over an aggressive federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has prompted an outpouring of anger.

New York Times News Service