The military disciplinary attorney has dropped preliminary investigations into a former press officer in the Defense Ministry.

The ARD television magazine "Panorama" had accused the lieutenant colonel of showing his sympathy for right-wing extremist ideas with affirmative signs on social media.

Marcel Bohnert, who was responsible for the ministry's social media activities at the time, admitted a mistake but vehemently denied that he was close to right-wing extremists.

After the "Panaroma" contribution, he was removed from his post and transferred to a barracks on the outskirts of Berlin.

Peter Carstens

Political correspondent in Berlin

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The soldier, who served as a Panzergrenadier in Kosovo and in Kunduz, Afghanistan, had published numerous articles in magazines and books and argued for the Bundeswehr to open up to social media.

In their post, which was soon criticized as "denunciatory", the Panorama editors referred to two "likes" on Instagram.

They concerned the account of one of Bohnert's former comrades, who had become radicalized in the meantime.

Post was immediately criticized

Immediately after the first disciplinary measures against the lieutenant colonel, the television report was criticized, and addresses of solidarity for Bohnert were formulated.

The SPD defense politician Fritz Felsentreu described the contribution as "totally weak".

On the other hand, Bohnert was attacked as a Nazi sympathizer by the then Left Party boss Bernd Riexinger, and an FDP politician called on the Ministry of Defense to take action.

Extensive investigations were initiated, both by the military counterintelligence service (MAD) and by the responsible military disciplinary attorney.

The officer recently reported on the reputation-destroying effect of this procedure in an article in the weekly newspaper "Die Zeit".

A misdemeanor could not be proven, the Bundeswehr Association quoted from the recently ordered termination of the procedure after more than 17 months.

A year ago, the MAD ended its investigation with an impeccable reference for Bohnert.

The duration of the process leaves a “bitter aftertaste”, according to a spokesman for the Bundeswehr Association, who elected Bohnert as second deputy to chairman André Wüstner in December 2021.