Man who sprayed Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar with vinegar sentenced to 14 months in prison

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The man who sprayed vinegar at Democratic US Rep. Ilhan Omar during a Minneapolis town hall was sentenced Thursday to 14 months in prison after reaching a deal with prosecutors.

Anthony Kazmierczak, 56, was sentenced nearly eight months after the January 27 assault . At the time, Minneapolis-St. Paul was subject to an immigration crackdown that led to angry protests, arrests and the deaths of two US citizens. Prosecutors had recommended a 14-month prison term.

He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, which includes no contact with Omar. US marshals escorted him from the courtroom after the hearing.

During an earlier hearing, Kazmierczak was unable to explain his actions.

“It’s fuzzy,” he told US District Judge Joan N. Ericksen when asked what he remembered.

Witnesses saw Kazmierczak jump up from the audience during the meeting, spraying liquid from a syringe at Omar and saying she was “splitting Minnesota apart.” Omar’s security officers quickly tackled Kazmierczak to the ground, then took him to police officers who placed him under arrest.

Omar was not injured and continued with the town hall after the arrest.

“I’m sorry if I scared you,” he wrote to Omar later, accepting responsibility for what he’d done.

Authorities later determined he’d sprayed her with a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar. He was charged with assaulting a US officer.

The government sentencing memorandum, submitted to the court by prosecutors, said he had texted at least three people indicating he planned to do something at the meeting involving Omar “but would not answer their questions about his intent.”

He also sent messages to a neighbor to arrange for dog care and contacts for a bail bond company.

The sentencing memo said Kazmierczak had long struggled with alcohol abuse, had “a history of mental and emotional health concerns” and also had a string of health issues tied to a 2022 diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

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After assault on Ilhan Omar, Trump responds with another blame-the-victim conspiracy theory

Omar, a refugee from Somalia , has long been a target of President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. After she was elected seven years ago, Trump said she should “go back” to her home country . He has described her as “garbage” and said she should be investigated.

In social media posts, Kazmierczak had criticized former President Joe Biden and referred to Democrats as “angry and liars.” Trump wants the US to be “stronger and more prosperous,” he wrote.

The attack on Omar came amid Operation Metro Surge , when more than 2,000 immigration officers swept through the Twin Cities in a dramatic crackdown that led to angry protests, arrests and the deaths of two US citizens.

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在明尼阿波利斯市的一次市政厅会议上，一名男子向美国民主党众议员伊尔汗·奥马尔喷洒醋。周四，该男子与检方达成认罪协议后被判处 14 个月监禁。

56岁的安东尼·卡兹米尔扎克在1月27日袭击事件发生近八个月后被判刑。当时，明尼阿波利斯-圣保罗地区正经历一场移民打压行动，引发了愤怒的抗议、逮捕行动，并导致两名美国公民死亡。检察官建议判处其14个月监禁。

他还被判处三年监管释放，期间不得与奥马尔接触。庭审结束后，美国法警将他押送出法庭。

在之前的听证会上，卡兹米尔扎克未能解释自己的行为。

“有点模糊了，”当被问及他记得什么时，他告诉美国地区法官琼·N·埃里克森。

目击者看到，会议期间，卡兹米尔恰克突然从观众席上跳起来，用注射器向奥马尔喷洒液体，并声称她“正在分裂明尼苏达州”。奥马尔的安保人员迅速将卡兹米尔恰克扑倒在地，随后将其移交给警方，警方将其逮捕。

奥马尔没有受伤，被捕后继续在市政厅主持会议。

“如果我吓到你了，我很抱歉，”他后来写信给奥马尔，承认了自己的所作所为。

当局后来查明，他向她喷洒了水和苹果醋的混合物。他被控袭击美国军官。

检察官向法庭提交的政府量刑备忘录称，他曾给至少三个人发短信，表示他计划在与奥马尔的会面中做些事情，“但他拒绝回答他们关于他意图的问题”。

他还给邻居发信息安排狗狗照料事宜，并提供了保释担保公司的联系方式。

判决备忘录称，卡兹米尔扎克长期以来一直与酗酒作斗争，“有精神和情绪健康问题史”，并且还有一系列与 2022 年确诊的帕金森病相关的健康问题。

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在伊尔汗·奥马尔遭到袭击后，特朗普又抛出了一个指责受害者的阴谋论。

奥马尔是一名来自索马里的难民，长期以来一直是唐纳德·特朗普总统反移民言论的攻击目标。七年前她当选后，特朗普曾表示她应该“滚回”她的祖国。他还称她为“垃圾”，并表示应该对她进行调查。

卡兹米尔恰克曾在社交媒体上发帖批评前总统乔·拜登，并称民主党人“愤怒且撒谎”。他写道，特朗普希望美国“更强大、更繁荣”。

对奥马尔的袭击发生在“大都会突击行动”期间，当时 2000 多名移民官员席卷双子城，展开了一场声势浩大的镇压行动，导致愤怒的抗议、逮捕和两名美国公民的死亡。