The man arrested in the Capitol gallery Thursday night after yelling “Remember Abbey Gate!” during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union was among the Gold Star parents who took part in an Escondido hearing last August.
Steve Nikoui was the father of Camp Pendleton Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, one of the 13 service members killed near the airport in Kabul during the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
From the balcony, he also shouted “United States Marines!” and “Abbey Gate!”
He spoke for 8 minutes here last summer, tearful at the end, lashing military leaders and accusing Biden of using his son as a “pawn” and getting “the optics he wanted” by pulling troops out ahead of Sept. 11.