Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb has declined to press charges against Steve Nikoui, the father of an American soldier killed during President Joe Biden’s disastrous 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Nikoui was arrested after causing a disruption in the State of the Union address, shouting “Abbey Gate” during President Biden’s speech.
Nikoui was invited to the State of the Union by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL). Following his vocal outburst, he was escorted out of the House chamber and arrested by Capitol Police. According to Rep. Mast, he extended the invitation to Nikoui as a way of “reminding President Biden of the damage he has done to national security and American families.” After a public outcry in defense of the Gold Star father, Schwalb’s office confirmed that it would not pursue the case against Nikoui any further.
Kareem Nikoui, Steve Nikoui’s son, was among those who tragically lost their lives during the U.S. military’s hasty exit from Afghanistan in 2021. Despite the Biden government’s insistence that there would be an orderly withdrawal from the country, the U.S.-backed Afghan military was quickly overrun by Taliban forces.
As the Taliban surrounded the Afghan capital of Kabul, President Biden rushed around 6,000 additional troops to the country in a haphazard effort to secure the airport and evacuate U.S. citizens and assets. The cry of “Abbey Gate” during the address referenced the site where Nikoui’s son — along with 12 other American service members — lost their lives in Kabul.