Klaudia Tanner duped

Scandal over Bosnian soldier at military academy

The ceremony in bright sunshine was overshadowed by an affront.(Bild: BMLV/Carina KARLOVITS)

118 new officers were discharged last Friday at a large ceremony in Wiener Neustadt. One of them insulted Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner beforehand.  

Instead of celebrating the successful completion of his three-year studies at the Theresian Military Academy (MilAk) in Wiener Neustadt, a Bosnian officer candidate quickly embarrassed his home country last Friday.

Eight women were also commissioned as lieutenants.(Bild: P. Huber)

The ensign from the Western Balkans had announced before the start of the graduation ceremony that he would refuse to shake hands with Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. This was not compatible with his faith, as she is a woman. "The man was then disinvited from both the graduation and the ceremony," confirms Colonel Michael Bauer from the Austrian Armed Forces. He was also not presented with the traditional academy ring.

Bosnia's representative had to apologize
Particularly embarrassing for the young Bosnian officer: his country's deputy defense minister, Slaven Galić, had traveled to the ceremony. He had to make a highly embarrassing apology to Austrian domestic politics. In addition to Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer was also present the following day.

The soldier had already been excluded from the ceremony last Friday (photo).(Bild: P. Huber)

But how did it come about that an apparently religiously radicalized soldier from abroad could be trained as an officer in Austria? As the "Krone" learned from the year group concerned, the man probably completed his training inconspicuously and dutifully for the first two years.

Family pressure as the reason?
However, it was only in the last year of his studies that he is said to have entered into a liaison with a woman from a strict Islamic family. His behavior then changed and the woman's family exerted pressure, it is said. The army chalked up the episode as an "isolated case": the training cooperation with Balkan states without their own military academies would not be shaken.