SYDNEY: Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, was arrested at Sydney Airport and charged with five counts of war crimes linked to the deaths of unarmed Afghan civilians between 2009 and 2012.
Roberts-Smith, a former member of the Australian Defence Force, is accused of ordering or participating in the killings of individuals who were detained, unarmed, and not engaged in hostilities.
The charges follow a controversial 2020 report that found credible evidence of Australian Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) members killing dozens of unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan.
A joint investigation by the AFP and the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) launched in 2021 has led to 53 cases, with 10 still open.
Roberts-Smith previously denied all allegations and successfully challenged parts of the reporting in a landmark defamation case in 2023.
He is scheduled to appear in court in New South Wales later this week.