Australia's Hero Soldier Arrested for War Crimes

0:00On April 7th, Australia's most decorated living soldier, a 47-year-old former special forces operator named Ben Robert Smith, got arrested. At Sinney Airport this week, on five counts of war crimes, specifically murdered during his Afghanistan deployments from 2009 to 2012, each charge carries a possible life sentence and federal police made the move after years of digging into allegations. Smith earned the Victoria Cross and other top honors for bravery on six tours in Afghanistan, starting back in 2006, turning him into a national icon. But reports starting in 2018 painted a darker picture, accusing him of killing unarmed civilians, claims he always shot down. The public and media split hard on this. Some still see him as a hero, while others point to a 2020 government report exposing unlawful. Investigators by his SAS unit, including dozens of prisoners, he fought back with Australia's priciest defamation case ever, but lost in federal court in 2023 when four out of six

1:05murder. Claim stuck, and his final high court appeal got tossed in September 2025. Investigators from the Australian Federal Police and a special war crimes office kicked off their probe in 2021, building on that. Broughter SAS Scandal. Now he's facing charges in a New South Wales court right away. This case keeps unfolding, shining a light on what really went down in those Afghan ops, and it'll test how we honor our warriors when the full story hits. Global News Today, powered by AI bringing you what matters worldwide. I'm Corey with The Story.