INTERNACIONAL
Australia’s most decorated veteran walks free on bail on war crimes charges related to Afghan deaths
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s most decorated living veteran, Ben Roberts-Smith, walked free on bail from a Sydney prison on Friday, 10 days after he was charged with war crimes in the killings of five people while serving in Afghanistan.
Judge Greg Grogin granted Roberts-Smith bail in a Sydney court around five hours earlier, ruling the former Special Air Service Regiment corporal had established exceptional circumstances to justify his release from custody. Prosecutors had opposed bail and argued there was a risk that Roberts-Smith would flee Australia or interfere with witnesses and evidence.
Roberts-Smith, 47, was arrested on April 7 and charged with five counts of war crime murder involving the deaths of five Afghans in Uruzgan province in 2009 and 2012.
AUSTRALIA’S MOST DECORATED LIVING SOLDIER CHARGED AMID FIERCE DEBATE OVER WAR CRIMES ALLEGATIONS
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 07: Ben Roberts-Smith departs the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney on June 07, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Ben Roberts-Smith is suing three Fairfax newspapers for defamation over reports he committed war crimes while serving in the Australian Special Air Services in Afghanistan. Ben Roberts-Smith is Australia’s most decorated living soldier and a Victoria Cross recipient. (Sam Mooy / Getty Images)
Australian law defines war crime murder as the intentional killing in a context of armed conflict of a person who is not taking an active part in the hostilities, such as a civilian, prisoner of war or a wounded soldier.
Roberts-Smith was driven away from Sydney’s Silverwater Correctional Complex late Friday apparently wearing the same clothes he wore when police escorted him from a commercial airliner at Sydney Airport last week, news media images showed.
Roberts-Smith was awarded both the Victoria Cross and Medal of Gallantry for his service in Afghanistan and is only the second Australian veteran of the Afghanistan campaign to be charged with a war crime.
The charges follow a military report released in 2020 that found evidence elite SAS and commando regiment troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and other noncombatants. Around 40,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021, of whom 41 were killed.
Similar allegations against Roberts-Smith were found credible in a civil court case in 2023 when a judge rejected his claims that newspaper articles defamed him.
AUSTRALIA’S MOST DECORATED WAR VETERAN APPEALS COURT RULING THAT BLAMED HIM FOR UNLAWFUL KILLING OF AFGHANS
At that trial, Roberts-Smith testified he had never killed an unarmed Afghan and denied ever committing a war crime. He claimed he has the victim of spiteful fellow soldiers’ lies and of others’ envy of his medals.
Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith VC, MG attends a Victoria Cross and George Cross Association Reunion Service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church on May 30, 2012 in London, England. (Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images)
But while the civil court found the war crimes allegations were mostly proven on a balance of probabilities, the war crime murder charges would have to be proved in a criminal court to a higher standard of beyond reasonable doubt.
Roberts-Smith is accused of personally shooting dead two victims. He allegedly ordered subordinates to shoot the other three victims.
In opposing bail, prosecutor Simon Buchen described the charges against Roberts-Smith as «among the most serious known to the criminal law.»
Buchen said Roberts-Smith had been «on the cusp of relocating overseas» without telling authorities when he became aware that prosectors were considering charges.
Roberts-Smith had made «advanced plans to relocate overseas. Consideration was being given to moving to various destinations overseas,» Buchen told the court.
Roberts-Smith faces a potential maximum sentence of life in prison on each conviction. He has yet to enter pleas.
JUDGE RULES AUSTRALIA’S MOST DECORATED WAR VETERAN UNLAWFULLY KILLED POWS, COMMITTED WAR CRIMES IN AFGHANISTAN
Defense lawyer Slade Howell told the bail hearing Roberts-Smith’s case «may properly be described as exceptional in the sense that it is out of the ordinary.»
«The use of domestic courts to prosecute alleged war crimes committed by a highly decorated Australian soldier deployed overseas repeatedly by the Australian government to fight a war on its behalf is unprecedented and is uncharted legal territory of the common law of this country,» Howell said.
FILE – Ben Roberts-Smith arrives at the Federal Court in Sydney on June 9, 2021. Australia’s most decorated living war veteran lodged an appeal on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, against a civil court ruling that blamed him for the unlawful killings of four Afghans. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File) (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
Howell also said Roberts-Smith’s «proceedings will be beset by a multitude of delays, many of which are peculiar to these proceeding.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Potential delays could arise if prosecutors decide to charge one or more of Roberts-Smith’s fellow veterans, some of whom now live overseas, Howell said.
Roberts-Smith took part in the bail hearing by video link from prison and spoke only when asked by the judge to confirm that he could see and hear proceedings.
australia, afghanistan, armed forces, military trials, veterans
INTERNACIONAL
Turkish grad student who co-authored anti-Israel op-ed at Tufts self-deports after legal battle with DHS
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University medical graduate student from Turkey whose charges were dropped after DHS detained her for allegedly «[engaging] in activities in support of Hamas,» has self-deported to Turkey, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Ozturk self-deported from the U.S. late Thursday night on a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, according to sources familiar.
Ozturk was detained by ICE in Somerville, Massachusetts, in March 2025, sparking a battle between the Trump administration and a federal judge over her detainment.
The Tufts graduate student was living in the U.S. under an F-1 student visa, which the Trump administration revoked around March 21, 2025. At the time her visa was revoked, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration were cracking down on student visas for students who were involved in protests and demonstrations regarding Israel and Palestine.
JUDGE WHO BLASTED TRUMP AS ‘AUTHORITARIAN’ BLOCKS US FROM DEPORTING PRO-PALESTINIAN CAMPUS ACTIVISTS
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay in Cernay-la-Ville, France, on March 27, 2026. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek)
«After 13 years of dedicated study, I am very proud to have completed my Ph.D. and to return home on my own timeline,» Ozturk said in a statement. «The time stolen from me by the U.S. government belongs not just to me, but to the children and youth I have dedicated my life to advocating for. With them in mind, I am choosing to return home as planned to continue my career as a woman scholar without losing more time to the state-imposed violence and hostility I have experienced in the United States – all for nothing more than co-signing an op-ed advocating for Palestinian rights.»
Ozturk co-authored an opinion piece on March 26, 2024 that was published in Tufts Daily, a student newspaper on campus.
«Credible accusations against Israel include accounts of deliberate starvation and indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians and plausible genocide,» the op-ed read.
The authors, including Ozturk, were critical of the university’s response to anti-Israel protests, saying that the university should publicly acknowledge Palestinian suffering.
Rubio specifically referenced opinion pieces in a statement surrounding the revoking of student visas, notably after the arrest of Ozturk on March 25, 2025.
DHS SAYS COLUMBIA STUDENT TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IS ILLEGAL ALIEN WHOSE VISA WAS TERMINATED UNDER OBAMA ADMIN
«If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason why you’re coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus — we’re not going to give you a visa,» Rubio said.
Trump’s Department of Justice also weighed in on Ozturk’s self-deportation.
«Attending elite colleges and universities in the United States is a privilege afforded to foreign students who respect our values and follow our laws,» a DOJ official told Fox News. «Rümeysa Öztürk chose not to abide by those simple conditions, and as a result left the United States – something the Administration sought to accomplish from the beginning. We will continue to seek the deportation of any foreign student who abuses their opportunity to study in America by engaging in vile antisemitism, harassment, or other illegal behavior.»
Following Ozturk’s arrest, she was transferred to Methuen, Mass., then Lebanon, New Hampshire, and Vermont before she was sent to the South Louisiana ICE processing facility, according to reports.
Protests erupted at Tufts and across the country over her arrest, and two months later she was released on bail.
ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATOR MAHMOUD KHALIL ONE STEP CLOSER TO DEPORTATION WITH IMMIGRATION BOARD RULING
Rumeysa Ozturk on an apple-picking trip in 2021. (AP Photo) (AP)
The legal battle continued between the Trump administration and Ozturk, who was legally represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), until Feb. 9 when Biden-appointed Boston immigration Judge Roopal Patel terminated deportation proceedings.
Patel ruled that the Department of Homeland Security lacked the legal grounds to deport her.
«I grieve for the many human beings who do not get to see the mistreatment they have faced brought into the light,» Ozturk said in a statement released by her attorneys after the ruling. «When we openly talk about the many injustices around us, including the treatment of immigrants and others who have been targeted and thrown in for-profit ICE prisons, as well as what is happening in Gaza, true justice will prevail.»
THE US GOVERNMENT TARGETED ME FOR MY POLITICAL SPEECH. IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU, TOO
The Trump Department of Justice fired Patel, among other immigration judges, last week.
President Donald Trump spoke to reporters outside the Oval Office at the White House on April 13, in Washington, D.C., after declining to apologize for remarks criticizing Pope Leo XIV. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Since Patel ruled as an immigration judge and not a federal Article III judge, the Trump administration and the executive branch has authority over her tenure.
The White House issued a press release on April 9, titled: «Era of Amnesty Is Over: President Trump Restores Rule of Law to Immigration Courts,» in which the administration touted «the most aggressive and successful immigration enforcement overhaul in modern history.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
«President Trump promised to end the open borders nightmare — and he is delivering on that promise with unrelenting force. The era of catch-and-release, mass releases, and activist judicial amnesty is over,» the White House statement reads.
homeland security, deportation, amnesty, immigration, immigrant rights
INTERNACIONAL
Estados Unidos mantiene el bloqueo a los puertos del régimen persa y 19 barcos acataron sus órdenes: “Si señor, volvemos a Irán”
Estados Unidos mantiene el bloqueo naval sobre los puertos del régimen iraní y ha ordenado el regreso de 19 buques mercantes a Irán desde el inicio de las operaciones, según informó el Comando Central (CENTCOM) este viernes.
La medida se sostiene mientras continúan las negociaciones, de acuerdo con las declaraciones de Donald Trump.
Desde que comenzó esta acción, ninguna embarcación ha logrado evadir el control de las fuerzas estadounidenses, una información ratificada por CENTCOM tras difundir imágenes del destructor de misiles guiados USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) instruyendo a un mercante a regresar a su terminal de origen iraní.
La operación cuenta también con la participación del portaaviones USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), que realiza tareas de bloqueo en el mar Arábigo y tiene a bordo una ala aérea compuesta por ocho F-35C, cazas F/A-18, aeronaves EA-18G, aviones de comando E-2D, así como helicópteros MH-60 y aparatos logísticos Ospreys CMV-22B.
El comandante de CENTCOM, almirante Brad Cooper, destacó la preparación de las tropas: “Las fuerzas de CENTCOM están altamente motivadas, enfocadas y listas”.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, dijo que su país mantendrá el bloqueo a los puertos iraníes pese a la apertura del estrecho de Ormuz.
“El estrecho de Ormuz está completamente abierto y listo para el comercio y el tránsito libre, pero el bloqueo naval se mantendrá en pleno vigor y efecto en lo que respecta a Irán, únicamente hasta que nuestra negociación con Irán se complete al 100%. Este proceso debería ser muy rápido, ya que la mayoría de los puntos ya están negociados”, expresó.
Minutos antes, había manifestado en la misma red social: “Irán acaba de anunciar que el estrecho de Irán está completamente abierto y listo para el paso libre. ¡Gracias!“.
El régimen de Irán anunció este viernes que el estrecho de Ormuz estará abierto a la navegación durante el cese del fuego acordado con Estados Unidos.
“De acuerdo con el alto el fuego en Líbano, el paso para todos los buques comerciales a través del Estrecho de Ormuz se declara completamente abierto durante el resto del período de alto el fuego, en la ruta coordinada ya anunciada por la Organización de Puertos y Asuntos Marítimos de la República Islámica de Irán”, expresó el ministro de Exteriores, Abbas Araghchi.
En tanto, los precios del petróleo retrocen marcadamente después del anuncio de Irán. El precio del petróleo registró una caída abrupta. La cotización del crudo Brent descendió con fuerza, mientras los futuros del West Texas Intermediate (WTI) también mostraron un retroceso significativo, en un contexto marcado por negociaciones diplomáticas y expectativas de distensión en Oriente Medio.
El viernes, los mercados internacionales observaron un comportamiento volátil luego de que Irán comunicó que el estrecho de Ormuz, un corredor esencial para el comercio mundial de hidrocarburos, permanecerá habilitado para la navegación mientras dure el cese de hostilidades. La noticia generó reacciones inmediatas en los precios de referencia mundial, con caídas de en torno al 10%. El Brent cerró en 89,43 dólares por barril, con una baja de 8,77 dólares y un retroceso del 8,93%. Por su parte, el WTI finalizó la jornada en 81,53 dólares, perdiendo 11,65 dólares respecto al día anterior.
Esta tendencia bajista reflejó la expectativa de los inversores acerca de un posible acuerdo entre Estados Unidos e Irán. La posibilidad de negociaciones durante el fin de semana y la entrada en vigor de un alto el fuego de diez días entre Líbano e Israel reforzaron el optimismo en los mercados sobre una posible resolución del conflicto en la región.
Antes, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, expresó confianza en que las conversaciones con Irán se encuentren cerca de un desenlace favorable. “Veremos qué pasa. Pero creo que estamos muy cerca de llegar a un acuerdo con Irán”, aseguró a la prensa frente a la Casa Blanca, declaración recogida por Reuters. El mandatario estadounidense también utilizó sus redes sociales para pedir a Hezbollah que actúe “bien” durante este periodo crítico y, en un evento en Las Vegas, afirmó que la guerra progresa “swimmingly” y anticipó que podría terminar pronto, según consignó The Wall Street Journal.
North America,Government / Politics
INTERNACIONAL
Guerra en Medio Oriente: Irán y Trump anuncian la reapertura «completa» del estrecho de Ormuz
El bloqueo de EE.UU. permanece
Preparativos en Islamabad para una posible nueva ronda de negociaciones
Caen los precios del petróleo
¿Qué dicen los expertos?
Turkish grad student who co-authored anti-Israel op-ed at Tufts self-deports after legal battle with DHS
Iraola deja su futuro en el aire: ‘No sé qué voy a hacer la próxima temporada’
Piden detener e indagar a Tapia y a Toviggino por presunto lavado de dinero
Botín se reunió en Brasil con Lula da Silva justo antes del viaje del mandatario a España Por EFE
La desopilante irrupción de Migue Granados en Infobae en Vivo: “Qué lindo se ve este lugar”
Un fiscal de Santiago del Estero pidió la detención de Chiqui Tapia y de Toviggino en una causa por presunta corrupción en la AFA
Martín Menem admitió que el informe de gestión de Manuel Adorni “va a ser picante” y anticipó: “Compren pochoclos”
Adorni también hipotecó su departamento anterior: otras dos mujeres le prestaron 100.000 dólares
El mensaje que le mandó la escribana de Adorni a una de las testigos en la causa por enriquecimiento ilícito
¡Eso no se puede! Sol Abraham rompió el aislamiento antes del intercambio de Gran Hermano: qué hizo
ECONOMIA2 días agoEl Gobierno debe $5,6 billones a proveedores, obras sociales, transportes y PAMI por caída ingresos
- INTERNACIONAL3 días ago
El origen de los anillos de Saturno: cómo una antigua luna pudo cambiar la historia del planeta para siempre
- POLITICA3 días ago
Después de conocerse la inflación de marzo, Milei culpó a la guerra y prometió una mejora: «Tarde o temprano las cosas van a estar bien»
