Reuters —
Australia’s most decorated living soldier has been arrested over five counts of the war crime of murder while on deployment in Afghanistan, local media reported on Tuesday.
The man, whom police identified as a 47-year-old former Australian Defence Force member and media named as Ben Roberts-Smith, was arrested at Sydney Airport on Tuesday morning.
He will be charged with five counts of war crimes in connection to the murder of five people in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012, Australian Federal Police (AFP) said. The maximum penalty for each charge is life imprisonment.
Roberts-Smith was hailed as a national hero after being awarded several top military…