Who was Steve Nikoui’s son Kareem Nikoui? All about the slain marine as Gold Star father arrested over interrupting Biden’s SOTU speech 

Steve Nikoui was arrested on Thursday, March 7, 2024, for disrupting President Biden’s State of the Union address. The incident where Steve Nikoui yelled “Abbey Gate” to criticize the Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan was caught on video and went viral online.

Steve is the Gold Star father of Marine Kareem Nikoui who was killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Steve Nikoui’s 20-year-old son Kareem was killed in a 2021 suicide bombing at Abbey Gate, the entrance to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. It happened after a single explosive device was detonated by an ISIS-K terrorist. The blast also claimed the lives of 12 U.S. service members and at least 170 Afghans.

Nikoui is a Trump supporter who has been critical of Biden’s administration since he lost his son during the controversial withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Nikoui was invited by Florida Rep. Brian Mast's office as a guest at President Joe Biden's State of the Union (SOTU).

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Steve Nikoui' son Kareem Nikoui graduated from Norco High School in 2019

As per Transition Outside the Wire Non-Profit website, Marine Corp Lance Cpl Kareem Nikoui was a California native who graduated from Norco High School in 2019 after joining the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. He was reportedly stationed at Camp Pendleton before serving in Afghanistan.

Shortly after his death, the City of Norco issued a statement mourning Kareem’s death, saying he was committed to serving his country and his name will be engraved on the “Lest We Forget Wall” at the George A. Ingalls Veterans Memorial Plaza. The statement read:

"The City of Norco respectfully salutes the service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Kabul, Afghanistan, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this difficult time."

The Norco High School Air Force JROTC described Nikoui as "one of the best" of its 2019 graduates. As quoted in USA Today, JROTC said in a statement:

"Kareem was set on being a Marine & always wanted to serve his country. Kareem made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and his memory will live on forever.”

Shortly after his son’s death, Steve Nikoui told The Daily Beast that he blamed Joe Biden for the incident.

"I blame my own military leaders. ... Biden turned his back on him. That's it.”

Steve told Reuters that Biden fumbled the ball by failing to assess the threat in Afghanistan. He added:

"I'm really disappointed in the way that the president has handled this, even more so the way the military has handled it. The commanders on the ground should have recognized this threat and addressed it."

According to media outlet The Hill, Capitol Police stated that Steve Nikoui was "arrested for crowding, obstructing or incommoding." They further said, “Disrupting the Congress and demonstrating in the Congressional Buildings is illegal.”

The arrest was slammed by many who took to social media to express their outrage over the incident. Kareem Nikoui is survived by his mother, father and siblings.