At the end of January, elected Democrat Ilhan Omar was doused with liquid during a public meeting. Very quickly, manipulated photos fueled theories claiming that the attack was simulated. But these images are artificial and satirical.
Published on: 05/02/2026 - 16:47
Was the attack on Ilhan Omar staged? This is what many Internet users have been saying for several days, with supporting images. At the end of January, the Democratic representative from Minnesota was doused with a liquid identified as apple cider vinegar during a public meeting in Minneapolis, in her constituency. The alleged perpetrator, Anthony Kazmierczak, was arrested and charged with assault.
A photo altered by AI
In the hours following the incident, conspiracy theories emerged on social media claiming that the attack was in fact orchestrated. One of these claims went viral, reaching more than 1.3 million views on
The account relays an image showing Ilhan Omar alongside Anthony Kazmierczak, both smiling, presented as proof of a staging.
To trace the origin of the image, simply search for the name "Kazmierczak" on Facebook. There we find the profile of Andy Kazmierczak – a first name by which Anthony Kazmierczak is also identified by several American media. His profile contains numerous publications, including photos of Donald Trump, suggesting proximity to Republican circles, but also several selfies similar to those relayed by the And We Know account.
Among these images is a photo showing Anthony Kazmierczak alongside a woman. The photo is slightly zoomed in but otherwise identical to the one presented on social networks as a photo of Ilhan Omar: same setting, same outfit, same posture, but the woman in the original photo is not Ilhan Omar.
The viral image was therefore modified from a photograph taken from Kazmierczak's personal Facebook account. By loading it into Google Lens and going to the "About image" section, Google Lens explicitly states "Created with Google AI", attesting that the visuals have been artificially altered.
A satirical account behind the two images
Other Internet users also shared a second photo, where Kazmierczak appears holding a bottle of water and a wad of cash, suggesting that he was paid to simulate the attack.
A reverse image search (see our guide here) can be traced back to the “DFF” (DumbFuckFinder) account, which published the image on January 28. In its bio, the account states: "DumbFuckFinder (DFF) is an AI-powered meme engine that turns stupidity into content. We use artificial intelligence to create memes."
The account is also identified as a satirical account. In the photo, we notice a “DFF” watermark on the veil or jacket of the elected Democrat. This tends to confirm that the image comes from this account - the same watermark is also visible on the first photo, which indicates that both images originally come from this same account.
By passing the image through Google Lens, the tool again signals the use of Google's AI to generate the photo, attesting that it is indeed artificial and satirical content.
This incident comes in an already tense context in Minneapolis, where two American residents, Alex Pretti and Renée Good, were killed by federal immigration agents as part of a large ICE operation, sparking anger, protests and political debates in the city and beyond.
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