Trending Now - Ex-australian Soldier Faces Charges for Five Afghan War Crimes

WHO:

CNN - Ben Roberts-Smith, a 47-year-old former Australian Defence Force member, is identified as Australia's most decorated living soldier.

ABC News World - The Australian Federal Police (AFP) are involved in the investigation and charges.

WHAT:

CNN - Roberts-Smith has been charged with five counts of war crimes related to the murder of five unarmed Afghans.

CNN - The maximum penalty for each war crime charge is life imprisonment.

CNN - Roberts-Smith has consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing during his service.

WHERE:

CNN - Roberts-Smith was arrested at Sydney Airport, New South Wales, Australia.

WHEN:

CNN - Roberts-Smith was arrested on April 7th, 2026.

CNN - The alleged war crimes occurred between 2009 and 2012.

CNN - A Federal Court judge ruled in 2023 that the newspapers proved four of the six murder accusations against Roberts-Smith.

CNN - A final appeal bid was dismissed by the High Court in September 2025.

CNN - An investigation into the SAS soldier was opened in 2021.

WHY:

CNN - The charges stem from allegations that Roberts-Smith killed unarmed Afghans during his military service.

HOW:

CNN - Allegations include that Roberts-Smith shot dead an unarmed Afghan teenager and kicked a handcuffed man off a cliff before ordering him to be shot dead.

CNN - The investigation was conducted by the AFP and the Office of the Special Investigator, which was set up to examine allegations of war crimes by Australian defense forces in Afghanistan.

(UPDATED April 7, 2026 07:20 UTC)

Ben Roberts-Smith, a 47-year-old Australian Defence Force member and the most decorated living soldier in Australia, was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday, on five counts of war crimes related to the murder of five unarmed Afghans. The maximum penalty for each charge is life imprisonment, and Roberts-Smith has consistently denied any wrongdoing during his service, despite a Federal Court ruling in 2023 that confirmed four of the six murder accusations against him. The allegations include horrific acts such as shooting an unarmed Afghan teenager and ordering the execution of a handcuffed man, with the investigation led by the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator.