1 month ago
2
Australia’s astir decorated surviving worker was arrested connected Tuesday (April 7, 2026) and volition beryllium charged with 5 counts of warfare transgression murders relating to the killing of unarmed civilians portion connected deployment successful Afghanistan.
The man, whom constabulary identified arsenic a 47-year-old erstwhile Australian Defence Force (ADF) subordinate and the media named arsenic Ben Roberts-Smith, was arrested astatine Sydney Airport connected Tuesday (April 7, 2026) morning.
He volition beryllium charged with 5 counts of warfare crimes successful transportation to the execution of 5 people successful Afghanistan betwixt 2009 and 2012, Australian Federal Police (AFP) said. The maximum punishment for each complaint is beingness imprisonment.
Mr. Roberts-Smith was hailed arsenic a nationalist leader after being awarded respective apical subject honours, including the Victoria Cross, for his actions during six tours of Afghanistan from 2006 to 2012.
“It volition beryllium alleged the victims were not taking portion successful hostilities astatine the clip of their alleged execution successful Afghanistan,” AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a property conference.
“It volition beryllium alleged the victims were detained, unarmed and were nether the power of ADF members when they were killed.”
Police would besides allege the victims were changeable by the accused oregon changeable by subordinates acting connected his orders and successful his presence, she said.
Mr. Roberts-Smith has consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing during his service, immoderate of which were archetypal reported by Nine Entertainment newspapers successful a bid of articles starting in 2018.
Among the accusations reported were that Mr. Roberts-Smith had changeable dormant an unarmed Afghan teenager and kicked a handcuffed antheral disconnected a cliff earlier ordering him to beryllium changeable dead. Mr. Roberts-Smith unsuccessfully challenged the reports successful what became Australia’s astir expensive defamation trial, with a Federal Court justice ruling successful 2023 that the newspapers proved 4 of the six execution accusations they levelled. A last entreaty bid was dismissed by the High Court successful September 2025.
Investigation into the SAS
A 2020 study recovered credible grounds that members of Australia’s Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) killed dozens of unarmed prisoners successful the lengthy Afghan war.
An probe into the SAS worker by the AFP and the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI), acceptable up to analyse allegations of warfare crimes by Australian defence forces successful Afghanistan, was opened successful 2021. Ross Barnett, manager of investigations astatine the OSI, said the process was analyzable and time-consuming due to the fact that authorities were incapable to spell to Afghanistan and entree the transgression scenes.
“We don’t person entree to the transgression scenes, we don’t person photographs, tract plans, measurements, the betterment of projectiles, humor spatter analysis, each of those things we would usually get astatine a transgression scene,” helium said astatine the property conference.
The joint OSI-AFP commenced 53 investigations involving allegations of warfare crimes by ADF members successful Afghanistan, with 10 ongoing. Another former peculiar forces worker is owed to look proceedings for warfare transgression execution adjacent February, the OSI said. “If the grounds leads to different radical needing to be charged, you tin beryllium assured that volition happen,” Mr. Barnett added.
Police said the accused antheral would look earlier a section tribunal successful the authorities of New South Wales aboriginal connected Tuesday (April 7, 2026).
Mr. Roberts-Smith’s lawyer for his defamation proceedings did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.
