BATON ROUGE - Nearly a year ago, Bostan Rizaye was reunited with his family at the Baton Rouge airport. They had been separated for two years, since the chaos that resulted from the American pullout from Afghanistan.

Rizaye, 36, has now been arrested on attempted first-degree murder and domestic abuse in the stabbing of his wife and her sister, according to police records. 

Some of those who helped get the family back together and helped them get settled in Baton Rouge said the attack is out of character for Rizaye, describing him as a gentle man.

Rizaye's wife escaped Afghanistan in 2021 as U.S. troops withdrew. She was pregnant at the time. He remained behind with their sons and his wife's sister. Because of his work as an Afghan National Police officer, Rizaye became a Taliban target. The family's house was destroyed and they had to live in caves as they worked to get to safety.

Sen. Bill Cassidy worked to help make it possible for the rest of the family to come to the U.S. after they had fled to Pakistan.

This past September, Rizaye and the other family members were welcomed to Baton Rouge at the airport. It was the first time he met his daughter and his sons met their sister, who had been born soon after their mother arrived here.

Rizaye is accused of repeatedly stabbing his wife and then her sister Friday afternoon. Both women were significantly injured.

Sonny Cranch, a friend of the family, says the violence was completely unexpected and believes PTSD could have been the trigger for what happened.

"A gentle and as nice a person you can ever hope to meet, there is no question he was probably struggling with post-traumatic syndrome," Cranch said.

Cranch also said it was likely the combined stress of having spent years running from the Taliban, finally moving to and adjusting to a new country, and more recently preparing for a move from the apartment where the family has been living.

"We do not know how many dead bodies of the enemy, fellow security force members, of innocent people, he had to look at. That's something you haven't experienced, I haven't experienced and many others haven't experienced. It's something we have to look at," Cranch said. 

Cranch asks people to remember that mental illness is a serious problem, that needs to recognition and treatment.

"You know this mental health issue comes to play, and we can't downplay that," he said "Something was said and done. It came to a head. It set him off, unbeknownst to any of us. And finally it erupted."

Cranch said Rizaye's wife and sister want Rizaye to return home.

A press release about the airport reunion has been removed from the Cassidy's Senate web site. His staff did not respond Monday to inquiries about the arrest.