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Ben Roberts-Smith, a former soldier from the Special Air Services, has been detained amid an inquiry into potential war crimes.
The 47-year-old was taken into custody at Sydney Airport earlier today.
Roberts-Smith, who was awarded the Victoria Cross, participated in various military operations abroad, including those in Afghanistan.
In 2023, he experienced a legal setback when he lost a defamation case against Nine newspapers, namely The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. These outlets had published investigative reports alleging his involvement in war crimes during his service in Afghanistan.
Nine is the proprietor of this publication.
The judge found, to the civil standard of defamation law, that Roberts-Smith had killed four unarmed Afghan men and had broken the rules of military engagement.
Roberts-Smith has always denied any wrongdoing in his service.
The Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator are set to address the media over the arrest early this afternoon.