A man was removed from President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech on Thursday night after yelling at Biden during the event.
Steven K. Nikoui, 51, was arrested by police for shouting at Biden after he was allegedly warned to stop. Nikoui is the father of Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California, who was killed during an ISIS-K terrorist attack at the Kabul airport during Biden’s disastrous withdraw from Afghanistan.
“The year before I took office, murder rates went up 30% — ” Biden said before getting cut off. “30% they went up.”
Nikoui began shouting “United States Marines” and “Abbey Gate” at Biden, causing the president to freeze up for a moment.
“The biggest increase in history,” Biden continued.
The guy who heckled Biden from the upper seating area shouted "United States Marines;" perhaps in reference to the 13 Marines the President killed with his disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. pic.twitter.com/n3OPgvVdtZ
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 8, 2024
Nikoui was arrested for D.C. Code § 22-1307 – Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding.
Those who died included Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California; Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah; Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts; Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California; Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska; Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California; Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio; and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee.
Related: Gold Star Family: Biden ‘Has Not Reached Out’ After Daughter-In-Law Killed In Afghanistan