Former Australian soldier arrested over alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan

A former Australian soldier was arrested Tuesday at Sydney Airport and is expected to be charged with five counts of war crimes committed in Afghanistan, federal police said.

The 47-year-old man is expected to be charged with five counts of murder in Uruzgan province between 2009 and 2012, the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) and the Australian Federal Police said in a joint statement.

Although the former soldier's name was not mentioned in the statement, several media reports identified him as Ben Roberts-Smith, one of Australia’s most decorated soldiers.

If convicted, the maximum penalty for the war crime of murder is life imprisonment.

The statement said that 53 investigations into alleged war crimes by Australian Defense Force members in Afghanistan have been opened, with 39 no longer active.

Fourteen investigations remain active, consisting of 10 ongoing investigations and four remaining on hold.

One investigation has led to a former Special Forces soldier being charged with war-crime murder, with the trial set for February 2027.