Australian police have arrested Ben Roberts-Smith, the country’s most decorated living soldier, on allegations of war crimes relating to his service in Afghanistan.
The Australian Federal Police said a man, named by local media as Roberts-Smith, has been charged over the killing of several unarmed civilians while deployed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. The 47-year-old was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday and was due to make his first court appearance on Wednesday.
Roberts-Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross, Australia’s highest military honour, for “conspicuous gallantry” during a 2010 battle against Taliban fighters in Kandahar. The new charges allege criminal conduct during a later part of his deployment.
He faces five counts of war crimes. Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said at a press conference: “It will be alleged the victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their alleged murder in Afghanistan. It will be alleged the victims were detained, unarmed and were under the control of [Australian Defence Force] members when they were killed.”
Specific allegations reported by authorities include claims that Roberts-Smith shot dead an unarmed Afghan teenager and kicked a handcuffed detainee off a cliff before having him shot. He is also accused of aiding or directing others to intentionally kill people on three separate occasions. All allegations are subject to criminal proceedings.
Public scrutiny over alleged misconduct by Australian forces in Afghanistan intensified after a series of newspaper reports in 2018 linked Roberts-Smith to the murders of unarmed Afghan prisoners. The reporting led to a high-profile defamation case in which Roberts-Smith sued the newspapers; in 2023 a Federal Court judge found some of the alleged murders proven, and his final appeal was dismissed by the High Court in September 2025.
The 2018 reporting also prompted a formal criminal inquiry. A joint investigation by the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator was launched in 2021 to examine alleged war crimes by Australian personnel during the Afghanistan deployment. Roberts-Smith’s case is one of 53 investigations opened, with 10 still ongoing. Ross Barnett, director of the Office of the Special Investigator, said: “If the evidence leads to other people needing to be charged, you can be assured that will happen.”
Australia deployed about 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US- and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other militant groups. The current criminal proceedings are part of a broader effort to investigate alleged unlawful killings and misconduct from that period.
The accused has not been convicted in a criminal court on these charges. Legal proceedings will determine whether the allegations are proven. Edited by Elizabeth Schumacher.