Authorities Arrest Australia’s Most Decorated Soldier Over Alleged War Crimes

Australia’s most decorated soldier was arrested Tuesday for alleged war crimes relating to the killing of five unarmed civilians during a tour of Afghanistan, officials said.

Ben Roberts-Smith, the 47-year-old former Australian Defence Force (ADF) member, was charged with five counts of war crimes, each carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, according to Reuters, citing court records and police. (RELATED: DC Put On ‘Spring Teen Jam’ To Keep Juveniles Out Of Trouble — Instead, Eight Got Arrested)

“It will be alleged the victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their alleged murder in Afghanistan,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said, according to Reuters. “It will be alleged the victims were detained, unarmed and were under the control of ADF members when they were killed.”

The killings allegedly took place between 2009 and 2012, the outlet reported, citing Australian Federal Police.

Roberts-Smith, a former Special Air Service Regiment corporal, was previously awarded the Victoria Cross — similar to the U.S.’ Medal of Honor — as well as the Medal of Gallantry for his service, according to NPR.

Although Roberts-Smith had been hailed a hero after his six tours between 2006 and 2012, police now allege that he either shot or ordered somebody to shoot each of these victims, Reuters reported.

Roberts-Smith has consistently denied these claims following reports as early as 2018. He was accused of fatally shooting one unarmed Afghan teenager and kicking a man, who was handcuffed, off a cliff before ordering his death by gunfire, according to Reuters.

This video grab taken from AFPTV shows former member of Australia’s elite Special Air Service regiment Ben Roberts-Smith leaving the Federal Court in Sydney on February 5, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW LEESON/AFP via Getty Images)

Roberts-Smith led the country’s most expensive defamation trial against these reports. However, a Federal Court judge ruled the newspapers had sufficiently proved four of the six murder allegations, and his bid for an appeal was dismissed by the High Court in 2025, Reuters reported.

A 2020 report discovered evidence that dozens of other unarmed prisoners were killed by Australia’s Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), leading to an investigation into the alleged war crimes, Reuters reported.

“We don’t have access to the crime scenes, we don’t have photographs, site plans, measurements, the recovery of projectiles, blood-spatter analysis — all of those things we would normally get at a crime scene,” Director of Investigations at the Office of the Special Investigator, Ross Barnett, explained, according to Reuters.

“If the evidence leads to other people needing to be charged, you can be assured that will happen,” Barnett continued.

Roberts-Smith was arrested at Sydney Airport and escorted into a police car, Reuters reported, citing police footage.

Officials said Roberts-Smith was denied bail and is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing Wednesday, Reuters reported. His lawyer did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment.