{"id":1869205,"date":"2026-04-07T05:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1869205"},"modified":"2026-04-07T05:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T02:49:14","slug":"australia-arrests-decorated-veteran-on-war-crimes-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1869205","title":{"rendered":"Australia arrests decorated veteran on war crimes charges"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76682822_6.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5Bkfw<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Roberts-Smith did six tours of Afghanistan from 2006 to 2012 [FILE: June 29, 2025]Image: James Ross\/AAP\/IMAGO<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Australian<\/a> police have arrested the country’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, on allegations of war crimes.<\/p>\n

The Australian Federal Police said a man, identified by local news outlets as Roberts-Smith, was charged over the killing of several unarmed civilians while on deployment in Afghanistan<\/a> between 2009 and 2012.<\/p>\n

The former soldier was previously awarded Australia’s highest military honor, the Victoria Cross, for “conspicuous gallantry”\u00a0during a 2010 battle against Taliban<\/a> fighters in Kandahar, Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Five counts of the war crimes<\/h2>\n

Roberts-Smith\u00a0was first linked to the murders of unarmed Afghan prisoners by Australian troops in a series of newspaper reports in 2018.<\/p>\n

He lost a defamation case<\/a> against the newspapers after a Federal Court judge in 2023 found some of the alleged murders proven. His final appeal was dismissed by the High Court in September 2025.<\/p>\n

The reporting also triggered a criminal investigation. The 47-year-old was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday morning and charged with five counts of war crimes.<\/p>\n

“It will be alleged the victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their alleged murder in Afghanistan,” Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a press conference.<\/p>\n

“It will be alleged the victims were detained, unarmed and were under the control of [Australian Defense Force] members when they were killed.”<\/p>\n

\"Victoria
Ben Roberts-Smith is one of the country’s highest decorated former soldiers [FILE: April 25, 2011]Image: Tracey Nearmy\/UIG\/IMAGO<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The allegations include that Roberts-Smith shot dead an unarmed Afghan teenager and kicked a handcuffed detainee off a cliff before having him shot.<\/p>\n

He is also accused of aiding or directing others to intentionally kill people on three separate occasions.<\/p>\n

Allegations of war crimes by Australian defense forces in Afghanistan examined<\/h2>\n

Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US- and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other militant groups.<\/p>\n

\"This
Over the course of 20 years, more than 39,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan until the withdrawal in 2021 [FILE: December 10, 2001]Image: Australian Defenses Forces\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A joint investigation by the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator into alleged war crimes by some of the soldiers during their deployement\u00a0in Afghanistan\u00a0was opened in 2021.<\/p>\n

Roberts-Smith’s case is one of 53 investigations, with 10 ongoing.<\/p>\n

“If the evidence leads to other people needing to be charged, you can be assured that will happen,” Ross Barnett, director of the Office of the Special Investigator, said.<\/p>\n

Edited by:\u00a0Elizabeth Schumacher<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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Australian<\/a> police have arrested the country’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, on allegations of war crimes.<\/p>\n

The Australian Federal Police said a man, identified by local news outlets as Roberts-Smith, was charged over the killing of several unarmed civilians while on deployment in Afghanistan<\/a> between 2009 and 2012.<\/p>\n

The former soldier was previously awarded Australia’s highest military honor, the Victoria Cross, for “conspicuous gallantry”\u00a0during a 2010 battle against Taliban<\/a> fighters in Kandahar, Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Five counts of the war crimes<\/h2>\n

Roberts-Smith\u00a0was first linked to the murders of unarmed Afghan prisoners by Australian troops in a series of newspaper reports in 2018.<\/p>\n

He lost a defamation case<\/a> against the newspapers after a Federal Court judge in 2023 found some of the alleged murders proven. His final appeal was dismissed by the High Court in September 2025.<\/p>\n

The reporting also triggered a criminal investigation. The 47-year-old was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday morning and charged with five counts of war crimes.<\/p>\n

“It will be alleged the victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their alleged murder in Afghanistan,” Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a press conference.<\/p>\n

“It will be alleged the victims were detained, unarmed and were under the control of [Australian Defense Force] members when they were killed.”<\/p>\n

\"Victoria
Ben Roberts-Smith is one of the country’s highest decorated former soldiers [FILE: April 25, 2011]Image: Tracey Nearmy\/UIG\/IMAGO<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The allegations include that Roberts-Smith shot dead an unarmed Afghan teenager and kicked a handcuffed detainee off a cliff before having him shot.<\/p>\n

He is also accused of aiding or directing others to intentionally kill people on three separate occasions.<\/p>\n

Allegations of war crimes by Australian defense forces in Afghanistan examined<\/h2>\n

Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US- and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other militant groups.<\/p>\n

\"This
Over the course of 20 years, more than 39,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan until the withdrawal in 2021 [FILE: December 10, 2001]Image: Australian Defenses Forces\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A joint investigation by the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator into alleged war crimes by some of the soldiers during their deployement\u00a0in Afghanistan\u00a0was opened in 2021.<\/p>\n

Roberts-Smith’s case is one of 53 investigations, with 10 ongoing.<\/p>\n

“If the evidence leads to other people needing to be charged, you can be assured that will happen,” Ross Barnett, director of the Office of the Special Investigator, said.<\/p>\n

Edited by:\u00a0Elizabeth Schumacher<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Australian<\/a> police have arrested the country’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, on allegations of war crimes.<\/p>\n

The Australian Federal Police said a man, identified by local news outlets as Roberts-Smith, was charged over the killing of several unarmed civilians while on deployment in Afghanistan<\/a> between 2009 and 2012.<\/p>\n

The former soldier was previously awarded Australia’s highest military honor, the Victoria Cross, for “conspicuous gallantry”\u00a0during a 2010 battle against Taliban<\/a> fighters in Kandahar, Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Roberts-Smith\u00a0was first linked to the murders of unarmed Afghan prisoners by Australian troops in a series of newspaper reports in 2018.<\/p>\n

He lost a defamation case<\/a> against the newspapers after a Federal Court judge in 2023 found some of the alleged murders proven. His final appeal was dismissed by the High Court in September 2025.<\/p>\n

The reporting also triggered a criminal investigation. The 47-year-old was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday morning and charged with five counts of war crimes.<\/p>\n

“It will be alleged the victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their alleged murder in Afghanistan,” Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett told a press conference.<\/p>\n

“It will be alleged the victims were detained, unarmed and were under the control of [Australian Defense Force] members when they were killed.”<\/p>\n

The allegations include that Roberts-Smith shot dead an unarmed Afghan teenager and kicked a handcuffed detainee off a cliff before having him shot.<\/p>\n

He is also accused of aiding or directing others to intentionally kill people on three separate occasions.<\/p>\n

Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US- and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other militant groups.<\/p>\n

A joint investigation by the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator into alleged war crimes by some of the soldiers during their deployement\u00a0in Afghanistan\u00a0was opened in 2021.<\/p>\n

Roberts-Smith’s case is one of 53 investigations, with 10 ongoing.<\/p>\n

“If the evidence leads to other people needing to be charged, you can be assured that will happen,” Ross Barnett, director of the Office of the Special Investigator, said.<\/p>\n

Edited by:\u00a0Elizabeth Schumacher<\/em><\/p>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76682822_6.jpg”] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5Bkfw Roberts-Smith did six tours of Afghanistan from 2006 to 2012 [FILE: June 29, 2025]Image: James Ross\/AAP\/IMAGO Australian police have arrested the country’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, on allegations of war crimes. The Australian Federal Police said a man, identified by local news outlets as Roberts-Smith, was charged over the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1869205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1869205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869205\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1869205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1869205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1869205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}