Australia's most decorated veteran Ben Roberts-Smith arrested over war crimes

Sydney. Australia's most decorated living veteran, Ben Roberts-Smith, has been arrested at Sydney Airport on charges of war crimes.

The 47-year-old, who left the army in 2013, is accused of committing five murders during the war in Afghanistan. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced in a press conference on Tuesday that he will be presented in court.

Police claim that while deployed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012, Smith murdered unarmed prisoners and ordered his subordinates to do the same. During a defamation case verdict in 2023, the court found that Victoria Cross recipient Smith had killed several unarmed Afghans. This is the first time in Australian history that a civil court has investigated claims of war crimes.

Previously, the 'Brereton Report' released in 2020 found 'credible evidence' that elite soldiers of the Australian Special Forces had unlawfully killed 39 people in Afghanistan. The Office of the Special Investigator (OSI), formed based on the report's recommendations, has called Smith's arrest a significant step. According to the investigation team, gathering evidence for incidents that occurred 9,000 kilometers away in a war-torn region was extremely challenging.

Smith has consistently denied all allegations against him. He has described the accusations as 'malicious' and 'misleading,' claiming that the killings were either legally justified during military engagements or did not occur at all.

However, the Federal Court dismissed his appeal last year. While this incident has dealt a major blow to the reputation of the Australian military, police have clarified that only a small number of soldiers were involved in such activities.