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Witnesses describe moment decorated soldier was arrested at busy airport

Witnesses have described the moment former ADF soldier Ben Roberts-Smith was taken into custody on the tarmac at Sydney Airport this morning.

Federal detectives were filmed walking through the domestic terminal, just moments before the former SAS soldier was arrested after getting off a flight from Brisbane.

Witnesses described the moment Roberts-Smith was taken into custody.

READ MORE: Ben Roberts-Smith arrested as part of war crimes investigation

Federal Taskforce officers march through Sydney Airport's domestic terminal before the arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith.

"Our plane stopped and then we looked outside and there was two AFP cars and then after that we saw a man get taken into one of the cars and his family followed behind," a passenger said.

"I just saw federal police pull over, taking whatever-his-name-is into the vehicle," another witness said.

"It is a bit of a shock to see the commotion."

READ MORE: How a five-year investigation led to Ben Roberts-Smith's arrest at Sydney Airport

Ben Roberts-Smith arrested at Sydney Airport

Roberts-Smith has always denied any allegations of wrongdoing.

The Victoria Cross recipient was charged this afternoon with five counts of war crime – murder:

  • The war crime of murder, in that he intentionally caused the death of a person, on or about 12 April, 2009, at Kakarak, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
  • The war crime of murder, in that he aided, abetted, counselled or procured another person to intentionally cause the death of a person, on or about 12 April, 2009, at Kakarak, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
  • The war crime of murder, in that he aided, abetted, counselled or procured another person to intentionally cause the death of a person, on or about 11 September, 2012, at Darwan, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
  • The war crime of murder, with another person, in that they intentionally caused the death of a person, on or about 20 October, 2012, in Syahchow, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.
  • The war crime of murder, in that he aided, abetted, counselled or procured another person to intentionally cause the death of a person, on or about 20 October, 2012, at Syahchow, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.

The maximum penalty for the offence of war crime – murder is life imprisonment if found guilty

It is the second time the Office of the Special Investigator and AFP has laid war crime murder charges against an ADF member in Australia.

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