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Australia’s most decorated veteran walks free on bail on war crimes charges related to Afghan deaths
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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.»
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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
La presidenta de Costa Rica reclama intervención del Congreso ante escalada delictiva en Crucitas
La presidenta Laura Fernández lanzó un llamado urgente a la Asamblea Legislativa para abordar de manera definitiva la problemática en Crucitas, una región que actualmente exige un gasto de USD 1 millón al mes solo en operaciones de seguridad.
La mandataria advirtió que la situación en Crucitas representa un riesgo que trasciende lo ambiental, pues bandas de crimen organizado ya se han asentado en la zona, profundizando un ciclo de delitos y pérdida de recursos nacionales.
Según Fernández, la continuidad de este modelo implica que el país sacrifica fondos esenciales que podrían emplearse en otras áreas de la seguridad pública.
La presidenta subrayó: “Nos consume un millón de dólares al mes la atención de seguridad que estamos dando en Crucitas, eso es mucha plata que debería de estarse distribuyendo en otras de las tantas necesidades de la seguridad nacional”.
Con esto, insistió en la urgencia de que los diputados den trámite a la propuesta de legalizar la minería de oro en la región, una iniciativa que permanece en la Asamblea Legislativa desde hace aproximadamente dos años y medio.
Fernández extendió una invitación directa a los legisladores para visitar Crucitas el próximo 19 de junio, enfatizando que el recorrido será a pie y no en helicóptero.
La intención es que los diputados experimenten de primera mano las condiciones que soportan los cuerpos policiales y comprendan la gravedad de posponer una solución efectiva.
“Qué fácil es desde la comodidad del aire acondicionado y desde la comodidad de una oficina burocrática… decir, ay, me opongo a esa solución, mientras nuestros policías pasan en un ambiente inhóspito, solo ahí, casi que con la ayuda de Dios”, reclamó la presidenta.
Actualmente, la controversia gira en torno a la legalización de la minería de oro como estrategia para frenar el deterioro ambiental, el robo de recursos y el fortalecimiento de la criminalidad en Crucitas.
Fernández argumenta que la falta de acción perpetúa un “combo de todo lo malo” para el país: daños ecológicos, saqueo de bienes nacionales y el avance del crimen organizado.
La propuesta del Ejecutivo busca que la legalización permita un control estatal sobre la explotación minera, con la promesa de reducir los riesgos sociales y ambientales, así como el elevado gasto en seguridad.
El llamado de Laura Fernández es claro: sin una intervención legislativa, la crisis en Crucitas seguirá agravándose, drenando recursos y comprometiendo la estabilidad y bienestar nacional.
La minería ilegal en Crucitas volvió a exponer en 2026 una crisis que mezcla daño ambiental, redes criminales y tensión entre Costa Rica y Nicaragua, después de que la Fuerza Pública costarricense detuviera a 19 nicaragüenses en la zona, según Infobae, en un conflicto agravado desde que se anuló la concesión legal para explotar oro y el territorio quedó abierto a la extracción clandestina.
Esa actividad ilegal provoca pérdidas anuales de unos USD 252 millones para Costa Rica, según Divergentes. El medio señaló que el oro extraído en la frontera alimenta un circuito de tráfico hacia Nicaragua, con participación de estructuras organizadas que facilitan su traslado y procesamiento.
La dimensión transfronteriza también llevó al gobierno costarricense a presentar reclamos diplomáticos a Nicaragua para pedir mayor vigilancia en la frontera y en el río San Juan, según Bloomberg Línea. La respuesta nicaragüense, de acuerdo con ese medio, ha sido limitada y la extracción clandestina continúa.
El origen del conflicto actual se remonta a 1999, cuando la empresa canadiense Industrias Infinito S.A. solicitó una concesión para explotar oro a cielo abierto en Las Crucitas, en el cantón de San Carlos, según el Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de América Latina.
En 2008, el gobierno de Costa Rica declaró el proyecto de interés público y habilitó su avance, pese a la oposición de grupos ambientalistas y comunidades locales, de acuerdo con ese registro.
La concesión fue anulada en 2010 por la Sala I de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, que citó irregularidades en el proceso y posibles daños ambientales al ecosistema del río San Juan, según el Observatorio de Conflictos Mineros de América Latina.
Esa decisión frenó la explotación legal, pero dejó la zona vulnerable a nuevas incursiones irregulares.
Lo que ocurre hoy en Crucitas es una extracción clandestina de oro realizada por grupos de mineros artesanales conocidos como coligalleros en Costa Rica y güiriseros en Nicaragua, según La Prensa Nicaragua.
El medio informó que esos grupos emplean métodos que incluyen sustancias tóxicas como cianuro y mercurio.
Nicaragua
INTERNACIONAL
Biden’s posh vacation enclave roiled as church axes July 4 tradition over ‘whiteness’ debate: ‘Spewing lies’
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A Nantucket church on the exclusive Massachusetts island long favored by former President Joe Biden canceled its annual Fourth of July reading of America’s founding documents, citing an effort to understand «our own whiteness» and drawing sharp criticism from conservatives.
«Our cancelling the 4th of July celebration this year reflects … an on-going process within the congregation to better understand our own whiteness,» wrote Nantucket Unitarian Universalists (NUU) and the Rev. Erin Splaine of the Second Congregational Meeting House Society in a letter published by the Nantucket Current on Thursday.
The historic Nantucket Unitarian Meeting House has hosted a public reading of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights in downtown Nantucket each Fourth of July holiday for the past 25 years.
The decision comes as communities across the country prepare for events tied to America’s upcoming semiquincentennial celebrations, sparking criticism from social media users amid a broader debate over how the nation’s founding documents should be commemorated.
THE UNWINNABLE WAR AMERICA’S FOUNDING FATHERS FOUGHT AND WON CHANGED HUMAN HISTORY FOREVER
President Joe Biden carries a milkshake while visiting Nantucket for the Thanksgiving holiday in 2023. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Church leaders said the decision reflects ongoing conversations within the congregation about race, privilege and the historical application of constitutional rights.
«For those of us who are white the experience of the Rights and Privileges conferred by the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and the Constitution of the United States have, for centuries, been tragically, often violently, and unequally applied to fellow citizens who are not white,» the letter explained.
In previous years, local leaders and the island’s chamber of commerce had promoted the event on social media platforms for all to attend to celebrate the holiday.
The letter stated that Splaine would not «engage» with anyone concerned with the cancelation on social media, saying those concerned could make an «appointment» to speak with her.
«Social media is not the place for important, tender conversations,» the letter stated.
Nantucket, a famed summer retreat off the Massachusetts coast, attracts celebrities, millionaires — and billionaires. Biden and his family head up to the island almost every year to celebrate Thanksgiving with family for decades.
Critics were quick to flood social media with reactions, pointing to the island’s exclusivity and arguing that some on the left appear increasingly uncomfortable celebrating America’s founding ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday.
WEALTHY COASTAL ENCLAVE’S DIRTY SECRET REVEALED THROUGH WASTEWATER TESTING SURVEILLANCE
A Nantucket church scraps its annual Fourth of July reading of the Declaration of Independence, sparking backlash ahead of America’s 250th birthday. (iStock)
«If you know anything about Nantucket, you know that’s where the rich, privileged people live. Just another self important dem who thinks she’s important,» posted an X user. «OK Nantucket, break out those fireworks. Don’t let this idiot spoil your fun.»
«Nothing says ‘inclusive’ like canceling a national holiday,» wrote one user on X.
«Someone needs to tell this nitwit that over 600,000 white men died in the battle to end slavery in this country by the way, the only country that decisively fought to end slavery,» said an X user. «I’m so tired of these people spewing lies because they refused to learn the truth. Pick up an old history book. It’s there.»
«She’s throwing a tantrum, and her congregation gets to take it and not ask any questions,» posted another person.
DEATH OF AMERICAN HISTORY? PROFESSORS WARN STUDENTS, EVEN TEACHERS SHOW ‘SHOCKING IGNORANCE’ OF FOUNDING DOCS
«If you know anything about Nantucket, you know that’s where the rich, privileged people live. Just another self important dem who thinks she’s important,» posted an X user. (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)
RARE, HISTORIC US DOCUMENTS TRAVELING COUNTRY ON ‘FREEDOM PLANE’ AHEAD OF AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY
To salvage the annual event, another church on the island, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, announced it would read the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, the Nantucket Current reported.
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«We may not be there yet but we felt it was important to gather together and try to live up to the promises our country has made,» said St. Paul’s Rev. Max Wolf. «Those documents are aspirational.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the Nantucket Unitarian Meeting House for comment, as well as Biden’s office.
patriotism, bill of rights, constitution, america 250, massachusetts
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Anti-cartel candidate ‘The Tiger’ channels Trump and Bukele in Colombia election shocker
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Colombia’s first-round presidential election, won by tough-talking conservative Abelardo de la Espriella, signaled what analysts describe as a growing backlash across Latin America against leftist governments.
The presidential election could carry significant implications for U.S. interests in the region, including drug trafficking, migration and regional stability, as voters increasingly prioritize security, counternarcotics policies and economic stability ahead of a June 21 runoff between de la Espriella and leftist candidate Ivan Cepeda.
«For the Trump administration, a Colombia that recommits itself to security cooperation, counternarcotics efforts, and stronger democratic institutions would be a major win and an important step forward towards restoring stability across the Western Hemisphere,» Melissa Ford Maldonado of the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) told Fox News Digital from Colombia.
ANTI-CARTEL HARDLINER CHANNELS TRUMP IN BID TO END COLOMBIA’S LEFTIST ERA IN PIVOTAL ELECTION
Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella of the political movement Defenders of the Homeland reacts after the results of the first round of the presidential election, in Barranquilla, Colombia May 31, 2026. (Sergio Acero/reuters )
«What happens in Colombia affects the flow of drugs into American communities, the strength of transnational criminal networks, migration pressures and the broader balance between democratic governments and criminalized regimes throughout the region,» she added.
The first-round winner, de la Espriella, a conservative lawyer and political outsider known as «El Tigre» («The Tiger»), has emerged as the face of Colombia’s security-focused shift.
An admirer of President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, won 43.7% of the vote Sunday, outperforming most polls and advancing to a runoff against left-wing Cepeda, the candidate backed by President Gustavo Petro.
His campaign has centered on a hardline crackdown on criminal organizations, which he argues have flourished under Petro’s «Total Peace» policy.
Supporters of Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo De La Espriella of the political movement Defenders of the Homeland react to the results of the first round of the presidential election, in Barranquilla, Colombia May 31, 2026. (Charlie Cordero/Reuters)
In an interview with the Associated Press, de la Espriella pledged to open mega-prisons and take a far more aggressive approach toward criminal groups. «Criminals will either surrender or leave the country,» he said.
The vote comes as Colombia faces rising violence, expanding criminal organizations and growing criticism of President Gustavo Petro’s «Total Peace» strategy, which sought negotiations with armed groups and criminal networks.
AT LEAST 80 PEOPLE KILLED IN NORTHEAST COLOMBIA AS PEACE TALKS FAIL, OFFICIAL SAYS
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro attends the COP16 Summit in Cali, Valle del Cauca, on Oct. 29, 2024. (Luis Acosta/AFP)
«Colombia heads into a June 21 runoff with armed groups controlling vast stretches of the country, a failed ‘Total Peace’ negotiating strategy leaving communities more exposed than when it began, and a Venezuelan refugee crisis that has overwhelmed the state’s already thin capacity to govern its own territory,» Daniel Swift, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital.
Maldonado said Colombia’s election reflects a wider political shift taking place across Latin America.
«This election is part of a broader trend across Latin America, where voters are increasingly rejecting the failed promises of the left in favor of security, sovereignty and economic opportunity,» she said.
ECUADOR’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION GOES TO RUNOFF BETWEEN CONSERVATIVE INCUMBENT, LEFTIST LAWYER
Colombia’s presidential candidate Ivan Cepeda of the Pacto Historico party speaks to supporters during his final campaign rally in Barranquilla, Atlántico department, on May 24, 2026. (Vanessa Romero/AFP)
«We’ve seen it in Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Honduras, Costa Rica and now increasingly in Colombia.»
Swift agreed the election results reflect a broader regional trend.
He said with de la Espriella outperforming «every poll, with security at the top of every voter’s mind — confirms that Colombia is part of a broader regional reckoning: Latin Americans are losing patience with governments that cannot provide security,» Swift said.
Maldonado said the results reflected mounting frustration with the country’s direction under Petro.
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A supporter of Colombia’s presidential candidate for the Defensores de la Patria party, Abelardo de la Espriella, takes a selfie as she awaits his arrival to his last campaign rally in Barranquilla, Colombia, on May 23, 2026. (Vanessa Romero/AFP via Getty Images)
«Years of growing insecurity, rising coca cultivation, expanding criminal organizations, and concessions to armed groups have left many Colombian people frustrated with the direction of the country,» she added.
The June 21 runoff is expected to focus heavily on security policy, organized crime and Colombia’s future relationship with the United States under the Trump administration. Maldonado argues it «offers Colombia an opportunity to begin reversing course and reestablish a principle that should have never been up for debate: criminal organizations should be confronted, not negotiated with.»
colombia, elections, latino, national security
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