BREAKING: Missoula Rape Suspect is an Afghan “Parolee”

BREAKING NEWS: The "Afghan visitor" who authorities reported has been arrested for allegedly raping a young woman in Missoula was placed in the state by the US State Department.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) confirmed the news Thursday morning. His office sent out a statement saying that an Afghan male placed in Montana by the U.S. State Department was charged with sexual assault.

The governor issued the following statement in response:

While I welcome our fully-vetted Afghan allies to Montana, this situation and others across the country raise serious concerns about whether the Biden administration is meeting its obligations to fully vet Afghans prior to resettlement. I'm calling on President Biden to immediately halt resettlements to Montana until federal agencies provide me with adequate assurance that Afghans coming to Montana are fully-vetted in accordance with federal law.

Credit goes to KGVO radio's Nick Chrestenson for first reporting this story on Wednesday. Here's the original story that we also shared on "Montana Talks."

According to Chrestenson's report, the suspect has been identified as 19-year-old Zabihullah Mohmand. The suspect and the alleged victim reportedly met at a Missoula bar, and a 911 call was placed from a downtown hotel.

The story caught my eye as I was driving back from Plentywood, Montana Wednesday. The initial headline read, "Teen Visiting from Afghanistan Charged with Rape in Missoula."

"Visiting?" I asked. Yeah, apparently not. He was PLACED in Montana by the United States State Department. The same State Department under Joe Biden that left US citizens behind in Afghanistan.

Montana Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and Congressman Matt Rosendale (R-MT) also weighed in:

Sen. Daines: The fallout and consequences from President Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan continue. While I support assisting our fully-vetted Afghan allies who served alongside our armed forces, President Biden has failed to provide answers as to who has come into the country or if they have been fully vetted according to what’s required by law. I've spoken to Governor Gianforte about this situation, and I stand with him in calling on President Biden to stop all Afghan resettlements to Montana until we get answers.

Rep. Rosendale: For months I have warned of the consequences of admitting and resettling unvetted Afghan nationals throughout our country. These unvetted Afghans do not share our culture and our values, and as this horrific incident shows they represent a serious risk to our communities. We cannot allow this administration to continue to jeopardize the safety of our communities and the security of our nation in the name of empathy. I urge the Biden Administration to immediately halt the resettlement of Afghan nationals across our nation and begin to remove Afghan evacuees that have been resettled from the United States.

Daines noted that the accused individual was admitted to the United States and placed in Montana under Humanitarian Parole, which is separate from the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program.

On October 4, Daines sent a letter to the Biden administration demanding answers about their current vetting procedures for Afghan evacuees calling them “unclear and incomplete,” and asking the Administration to pause the resettlement of parolees already in the U.S. until questions are answered. 

“We further ask that you pause resettlement of Afghans already paroled into the United States until the Department of Defense Inspector General verifies that DOD is appropriately managing and tracking evacuees through the biometrics enrollment, screening, and vetting process,” the letter states.