(DailyVantage.com) – Police recently arrested the dad of a soldier who died in Afghanistan after the deceased soldier’s father yelled about his son during one of President Biden’s speeches. The distraught father began yelling at President Biden during the State of the Union speech, referencing a suicide bombing that killed 13 United States troops and more than 150 Aghani citizens.
During his speech, President Biden claimed the United States’ national security had increased throughout his first term, prompting the soldier’s father, Steve Nikoui, to interrupt the president and yell about the military blunder under President Biden’s leadership.
Nikoui expressly referred to “Abbey Gate,” the aforementioned suicide bombing, when Biden claimed he helped secure the United States. Nikoui’s son, a lance corporal in the United States Army, was one of the 13 troops who died during the bombing. After he interrupted the president, security escorted Nikoui out of the chamber and placed him in police custody. Representative Brian Mast (R-Florida) had invited Nikoui to the State of the Union and took to social media to criticize the Biden administration for having Nikoui removed for exercising his right to free speech.
Mast also used social media to highlight President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, which occurred several months after the highly controversial 2020 election. According to Mast, the Biden administration never held any government officials responsible for the failed pull-out from Afghanistan, which saw the nation’s militant extremists take power upon the United States’ exit. Mast vowed to continue highlighting the botched Afghanistan withdrawal until the Biden administration took accountability and held someone responsible for the catastrophic incident.
Capitol police released a statement regarding Nikoui’s arrest, confirming the distraught father received a misdemeanor charge for yelling during President Biden’s speech. Police charged Nikoui with “crowding,” which could see the soldier’s father pay a fine totaling $500 and spending time behind bars. Shortly after releasing the statement, Capitol police released Nikoui from custody, likely due to the public outrage surrounding the incident.
Nikoui’s outburst marks yet another instance of President Biden having someone directly confront him about his failed policies during the Afghanistan withdrawal. The aging president has never officially addressed the controversy or acknowledged the various service members who died in the Abbey Gate incident. Former President Donald Trump hosted a dinner for the families of the troops who died in the attack mentioned above and likely plans to reference the tragedy during his campaign in the coming months.
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