WATCH: Gold Star Father Arrested For Honoring Fallen Son With Outburst During State Of The Union

On Thursday, President Joe Biden gave his State of the Union address to the nation during a joint session of Congress that saw the president, who was clearly in campaign mode for his 2024 showdown with his predecessor, cover several topics, including abortion, IVF, "shrinkflation," immigration, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and the elimination of late fees. During the latter half of his speech, however, one Gold Star father decided to disrupt Biden's speech in an attempt to remind Biden and the American public of his son's sacrifice during the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021.

At approximately 10:15 PM EST, Steve Nikoui, the father of Lance Cpl Kareem Nikoui, yelled out from the balcony, "Abbey Gate!" and "United States Marines" when Biden claimed that "America is safer today than when I took office." Nikoui's son was one of the 13 brave American military personnel who died at the Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport during the withdrawal of US forces on August 26, 2021. 

The outburst, which didn't seem to faze Biden, led to the Gold Star father being arrested by Capitol Police, with the authorities telling Axios, "Tonight at approximately 10:15 PM, a man disrupted the State of the Union Address by yelling. Our officers warned him to stop, and when he did not, the man was removed from the House Galleries and was arrested." The Capitol authorities charged Nikoui with a misdemeanor of "crowding, obstructing or incommoding" for attempting to protest in an unlawful location. The charges carry a fine of $500 and up to 90 days in prison.

Critics of the arrest quickly condemned Nikoui's arrest with Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who invited Nikoui, explaining, "The Sergeant at Arms is holding my State of the Union guest for yelling at [the president] in protest because his son was killed in action at the Abbey Gate due to Biden's incompetence. So much for the right to petition our government for the redress of grievances."

The Florida congressmen explained in a previous post to X that he invited the father of the fallen Marine to remind "President Biden of the damage he has done to national security and American families." Nikoui was later released by the Capitol Police and reunited with other Gold Star families who watched from a nearby restaurant. 

Nikoui's outburst was a brave act that attempted to remind the American people and the president, who has refused to visit with a number of the Gold Star parents who lost loved ones during the Afghanistan withdrawal, of the brave sacrifice that took place on that day over two years ago. The Afghanistan withdrawal was a turning point in Biden's presidency that led to plummeting poll numbers, and the brief reminder and over-the-top response from the Capitol Police during Biden's State of the Union will send the wrong message to Americans nationwide.

WATCH:

🚨🇺🇸 STEVE NIKOUI ARRESTED FOR INTERRUPTING

Steve Nikoui was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for interrupting Biden.

He shouted "Abbey Gate" and "UNITED STATES MARINES".pic.twitter.com/ECfdQDmCRG

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 8, 2024

WATCH: Steve Nikoui’s fellow Gold Star Families give him a hero’s welcome after he is freed from his completely deranged arrest by @CapitolPolice ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ https://t.co/uLSjSwmpQA pic.twitter.com/MFdlrmSMfC

— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) March 8, 2024

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