Six Germans investigated in skull photos scandal

German defence minister Franz Josef Jung today said that six suspects were under investigation in the scandal over pictures of German soldiers posing with a skull in Afghanistan.

Jung repeated his vow that such behaviour had “no place” in the country’s military.

“Anyone who behaves like this has no place in the army,” Jung told the Bundestag lower house of parliament. “We will enforce all consequences, both criminal and disciplinary.”

Jung said the probe had expanded from two suspects to six. Of the six, four were no longer in the military, he said.

The Bild newspaper, which first published the photographs yesterday, ran more today, again blacking out the faces of the soldiers. It did not say where it obtained the photos, which it dated to early 2003.

The pictures of the soldiers handling the skull – one is pictured with it next to his exposed genitals – and putting it on the bonnet of their vehicle have led to expressions of disgust among German officials.

Chancellor Angela Merkel called them “repugnant” and said they “can be excused by nothing”.

Prosecutors in Potsdam, where the military has its command centre for deployments abroad, have opened an investigation for possible charges of disturbing the peace of the dead.

The pictures’ publication has caused dismay in part because Germany is proud of its post-Second World War military training rules, which reflect lessons drawn from the Nazi era by urging soldiers to take responsibility for their actions.

The Roman Catholic bishop assigned to the German military, Walter Mixa, said the scandal showed that training needed to be reviewed.

“The training for foreign deployments for German soldiers must be improved,” Mixa, also the bishop of Augsburg, said on ZDF public television. “The scandal over the photos is a warning signal.”