Trump Announces Abbey Gate Bomber Arrest to Congress; Marc Fogel’s 95-Year-Old Mother’s Promise Kept

In two of the most powerful moments of his March 5, 2025, joint address to Congress, President Trump announced that “we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible” for the Abbey Gate bombing — ISIS operative Muhammed Sharifullah, who was “right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.” Trump thanked Pakistan for the arrest and described calling the Gold Star families, who “did nothing but cry with happiness.” In a separate segment, Trump honored freed teacher Marc Fogel and his 95-year-old mother Malphine, recounting his promise to her at the Butler rally: “After 22 days in office, I did just that. And they are here tonight."

"The Swift Sword of American Justice”

Trump built the Abbey Gate announcement with deliberate emotional pacing.

“Three and a half years ago, ISIS terrorists killed 13 American service members and countless others in the Abbey Gate bombing during the disastrous and incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Trump said.

He added the qualifier that distinguished his criticism from the withdrawal itself: “Not that they were withdrawing — it was the way they withdrew. Perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”

Then the announcement: “Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.”

The phrase “swift sword of American justice” was among the most vivid language Trump had ever used in a presidential address. It conveyed both the certainty of punishment and the speed with which the Trump administration had acted compared to the Biden administration’s inaction.

Trump thanked the foreign partner who had helped: “I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster.”

The acknowledgment of Pakistan was diplomatically significant. It demonstrated that the administration’s tough-love approach to foreign policy — demanding cooperation while offering respect for those who delivered — was producing results in the counterterrorism domain as well as in trade and immigration.

”They Did Nothing But Cry with Happiness”

Trump described the personal dimension of the announcement with the emotional candor that characterized his most powerful moments.

“This was a very momentous day for those 13 families who I actually got to know very well, most of them, whose children were so badly injured on that fateful day in Afghanistan,” Trump said. “What a horrible day. Such incompetence was shown.”

He recounted the calls he had made to the families: “Everybody who was on the line — they did nothing but cry with happiness. They were very happy, as happy as you can be under those circumstances.”

The qualifier — “as happy as you can be under those circumstances” — acknowledged that the arrest of the bomber could not bring back the 13 service members who had died. It could provide a measure of justice and closure, but the grief of losing a child was permanent. Trump’s recognition of that reality gave the moment its emotional authenticity.

The description of the family members’ reactions — “their child, brother, sister, son, daughter” — personalized the 13 casualties by reminding the audience that each was someone’s family member. The war on terror was fought by real people with real families, and the consequences of the Biden administration’s “incompetent withdrawal” were measured in those families’ permanent loss.

Biden “Barely Lifted a Finger”

Trump then pivoted to the Marc Fogel story, connecting another act of justice to the failures of the previous administration.

“Nearly four years ago, amid rising tensions, a history teacher named Marc Fogel was detained in Russia and sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony,” Trump said. “Rough stuff.”

He delivered the indictment of Biden’s inaction: “The previous administration barely lifted a finger to help him. They knew he was innocent but they had no idea where to begin.”

The “no idea where to begin” characterization was particularly damaging because it suggested not just unwillingness but incompetence. Biden had not merely chosen not to act; his administration lacked the diplomatic skill and leverage to act even if it had wanted to.

”After 22 Days in Office, I Did Just That”

Trump then recounted the promise that connected Fogel’s release to the most dramatic event of his political career.

“But last summer, I promised his 95-year-old mother, Malphine, that we would bring her boy safely back home,” Trump said.

He delivered the fulfillment: “After 22 days in office, I did just that.”

The timeline — 22 days to accomplish what Biden could not in nearly four years — was the most powerful comparison in the entire address. The same president who had survived an assassination attempt at the Butler rally where Malphine Fogel was supposed to speak had returned to office and freed her son in three weeks.

“And they are here tonight,” Trump said, as the audience erupted in applause for Fogel and his mother.

The presence of Fogel and his 95-year-old mother in the chamber transformed a policy accomplishment into a human story that every viewer could understand. A mother had spent years fearing she would never see her son again. A president had promised to bring him home. And here they were, together, in the United States Capitol.

Two Stories, One Theme

The pairing of the Abbey Gate bomber arrest and the Fogel release was structurally deliberate. Both stories involved Americans who had been abandoned by the Biden administration — the Gold Star families whose loved ones died due to Biden’s incompetent withdrawal, and the Fogel family whose son was left to rot in a Russian prison. Both involved Trump making personal promises — to the Gold Star families during the campaign and to Malphine Fogel at the Butler rally. And both involved Trump fulfilling those promises within weeks of taking office.

The theme connecting them was accountability and action: accountability for those who harmed Americans (the bomber brought to justice) and action to rescue Americans who had been forgotten (Fogel brought home). Biden had provided neither. Trump had provided both.

For the families in the chamber — the Gold Star families and the Fogel family — the moments were personal vindication. For the nation watching at home, they were evidence that a president who kept his promises was governing the country.

Key Takeaways

• Trump announced the arrest of Abbey Gate bomber Muhammed Sharifullah, saying he was “right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice,” thanking Pakistan for the assist.
• He described calling Gold Star families who “did nothing but cry with happiness” upon learning of the arrest after three and a half years of waiting.
• Trump said Biden “barely lifted a finger” to help Marc Fogel and “had no idea where to begin,” while Trump secured his release “after 22 days in office.”
• He honored Fogel and his 95-year-old mother Malphine in the chamber, fulfilling the promise he made to her at the Butler rally where he survived the assassination attempt.
• Trump called the Afghanistan withdrawal “perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country” — not for withdrawing, but for “the way they withdrew.”