Gold Star father arrested at Biden's State of the Union says charges have NOT been dropped and slams the president for ignoring son Kareem: Steven Nikoui says the families of the soldiers killed have spent thousands on travel to demand accountability

Gold Star father Steven Nikoui says charges have not been dropped against him after he was arrested for heckling President Biden during the State of the Union address.

Nikoui, 51, the father of slain Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, shouted 'Remember Abbey Gate!' 'United States Marines!' and 'Abbey Gate!' from the balcony of the House chamber in the middle of the president's remarks last Thursday. 

His son, Kareem, was killed by a suicide bomber, along with 12 other soldiers, during the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. 

After yelling at Biden from the guest seating, Nikoui was removed from the chamber by Capitol Police and later arrested and charged. He has an upcoming court date of March 28.

He told DailyMail.com a week later that he's heard 'nothing' from the Capitol police since his arrest despite Republican calls for his charges to be dropped. 

'I was just strongly convicted by the Holy Spirit to stand up and say that after sitting there for almost an hour of just total disrespect to us. He knew that there were other Gold Star family members, he could of at least just said their names and this would have been done.'

He called it 'devastating' that Biden instead mentioned the name of murdered Georgia student Laken Riley, which he confused with 'Lincoln,' but not the soldiers killed at Abbey Gate.

Gold Star father Steve Nikoui was removed from President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech for shouting about his son's death in Afghanistan 

'I've waited three years, I paid $3,000...and I've traveled 3,000 miles just to finally hear my son's name in the State of the Union,' he added. 

Nikoui says the financial drain is starting to take a toll on the Gold Star families who have spent thousands of dollars of their own money to keep pushing for accountability from the Biden administration. 

'We've all spent thousands of dollars, that trip to the State of the Union - what a kick in my a**,' he told DailyMail.com. 

'That cost me three grand, hotels are really expensive. And then getting thrown into jail.'

Fellow Gold Star father Darin Hoover called Nikoui's arrest 'ludicrous' that he was singled out among other hecklers during the State of the Union.

'The optics don't look good, that's for damn sure,' he told DailyMail.com. 

Nikoui said a lot of the other Gold Star parents are not going to be able to go to an upcoming hearing on March 19 on Capitol Hill featuring Generals Kenneth McKenzie and Mark Milley.

'Joe Biden, personally, is the reason for that fiasco,' he told DailyMail.com '100%.'

'I'm mad at Milley and Mackenzie, because I feel like they should have been bold and taking a stand and resign. Maybe it would have changed the course of history.'

But Nikoui says he just doesn't have the money to make it back next week for the hearing, which is 'sad' as a lot of the other Gold Star parents are in the same boat.

Video posted of Nikoui after the State of the Union around 1:00 a.m. shows him entering an Irish pub to loud applause after the lawmaker who brought him, Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., helped secure his release. 

The 51-year-old was quickly removed from the public gallery and placed in handcuffs

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, Calif. - one of 13 service members who were killed during the disastrous 2021 exit from Afghanistan 

Shortly after the State of the Union DailyMail.com asked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., a former Army Green Beret, his reaction to Nikoui's arrest. 

'That's shameful if he was arrested,' Waltz said. 'I was with the all of the Gold star families just before the speech.' 

Waltz himself invited Gold Star mother Paula Knauss, who similarly lost her son, Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, after the blast at the Afghanistan airport.

Knauss said she 'almost got kicked out myself' during the speech because she was furious with Biden for failing to say her son's name and apologize for the disastrous exit from Afghanistan. 

'He has yet to say that 13 names, whether to them privately, publicly, in a speech anywhere. It's infuriating,' Waltz said.