A court in the United States is set to send former United States Marine trainer to prison on Friday after it was confirmed that he abused some Muslim military recruits by ordering them into an industrial clothes dryer and turning it on. The former trainer identified as Gunnery Sergeant Joseph Felix was found guilty of 'maltreatment' on Thursday after it was established that he physically and verbally abused three American Muslim trainees seeking to become US Marines.
The incident happened at a US owned facility in Parris Island, South Carolina state. According to Washington Post, the Prosecutor, Lieutenant-Colonel John Norman said the accused "picked out Muslim recruits for special abuse because of their Muslim faith. He degraded their religion and put them in industrial appliances"
Some of the witnesses summoned to appear in the case claimed that they heard Felix use terms such as 'terrorist and ISIS' when addressing the Muslim men.
Meanwhile, the family of one of the victims has instituted a $100m civil lawsuit against the Marine Corps and the American government over the death of their son, Raheel Siddiqui. He was said to have died after falling from a 12 meters platform.
While the Defense lawyer, Navy Lieutenant Commander Daniel Bridges claimed the incident was a case of suicide, the family says the abuse he suffered led to his jumping.
Bridges also argued that Felix did not know that the three men were Muslims. The other two victims were identified as Ameer Bourmeche and ¬Rekan Hawez
