Estonia Army Chief Sorry over Knights Templar Photos

Estonian army chief Riho Terras apologized Thursday after photos surfaced of him performing a Knights Templar ritual in a white cape and army gear at a medieval monastery.

"There are rules about wearing the military uniform and nobody, including the commander of the defense forces, can violate the rules," the 45-year-old said on the army website.

The Baltic nation's military forbids its officers from wearing the uniform off duty, but that did not stop several of the sword-clutching men in the shots leaked by local media this week.

Terras said he had quit his chair position in the OSMTH, Estonia's branch of the secretive medieval order, but remains a member of the group.

Local media has outed several other high-profile figures from the political, economic and church spheres as belonging to such male-only organisations.

Some have admitted membership publicly, including the head of Tallinn's Lutheran church, Jaan Tammsalu, who is a Free Mason.