US marine instructor accused of running a clothes dryer with a Muslim recruit inside

A Muslim US marine said he was called a terrorist and ordered into an industrial clothes dryer multiple times by a drill instructor who then turned it on, burning him, according to investigative documents that describe the abuse of recruits at the service’s training centre at Parris Island, South Carolina.

“You’re going to kill us all the first chance you get aren’t you, terrorist?” the drill instructor thundered at the recruit, the new marine later alleged, according to the documents that have not been released publicly but were reviewed by The Washington Post. “What are your plans? Aren’t you a terrorist?”

The issue of hazing and abuse at Parris Island surfaced March 18, when a different 20-year-old recruit with Pakistani roots - Raheel Siddiqui of Taylor, Michigan – died after leaping from a stairwell landing that was nearly 13 metres high while running away from the same drill instructor who used the dryer. The instructor had just slapped Siddiqui before he jumped. Siddiqui’s death drew public scrutiny to a culture of harsh punishments at Parris Island – one that marine officials were already examining, the documents show.

Last week, service officials announced that 20 members of Parris Island’s staff could face criminal charges or administrative discipline following the conclusion of three investigations into various abuse allegations. But the documents and an interview with a marine official with knowledge of the investigations suggest dozens more Parris Island marines could be implicated in the scandal.

Marine Commandant General Robert Neller, addressing the abuse allegations last week, said in a statement that recruit training will remain physically and mentally challenging, but that the manner in which marines are made is as important as the final product.