Afghan Refugee Charged With Rape Of 18-Year-Old After Resettling In Montana

An Afghan refugee was charged with raping an 18-year-old after resettling in Missoula, Montana, Fox News reported on Thursday.

Zabihullah Muhmand, 19, ended up in Montana as part of a State Department effort to resettle people evacuated from Afghanistan after the government fell to the Taliban in mid-August, Republican Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announced, according to Fox News. Gianforte asked the Biden administration to stop resettlement efforts so officials can look into the vetting process of evacuees.

“911 received a call from the victim and also from the local motel who wanted to report seeing some concerning behavior between a male and female,” police official Lydia Arnold said, local outlet KGVO reported. “Officers were able to connect the victim with the resources in Missoula to aid the victim with immediate medical assistance, conduct a preliminary investigation, and take a preliminary statement from the victim.”

Muhmand was arrested after the victim called 911 from a motel in Missoula, the Missoula Police Department told Fox News. Muhmand was charged with sexual intercourse without consent and is in custody at the Missoula County Jail pending the results of an investigation.

The victim said Muhmand asked if she wanted to go to a motel room where the alleged incident occurred, according to Fox News. The woman’s underwear was found in the room, she reportedly told Muhmand she didn’t want anything to happen and he claimed the interaction was consensual.

Gianforte said he supports the resettlement of “fully-vetted Afghan allies” in Montana but “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,” Fox News reported.

The Biden administration is resettling thousands of Afghan refugees across the U.S. each week, CBS News reported on Thursday. Over 55,000 Afghans who were evacuated from the country are staying at eight military bases across the U.S. and are slowly resettling in communities across the country while thousands of other refugees wait in third countries for an opportunity to come to the U.S.

Neither Gianforte nor the Missoula Police Department responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s immediate request for comment.