Former Prime Minister John Howard says former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith being charged with multiple war crimes will "tug at the heartstrings of millions of Australians".
Australia's most decorated soldier, a veteran of deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan, was arrested yesterday at Sydney Domestic Airport and charged with five counts of murder – war crime.
He did not appear at a brief court hearing this morning and his lawyers did not make an immediate application for his release, meaning he will remain in custody for months.
In a statement today, Howard called Roberts-Smith "the most decorated Australian serviceman alive".
"The arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith will tug at the heartstrings of millions of Australians," the 86-year-old said.
"To some Australians, Roberts-Smith is the modern personification of the great Anzac tradition.
"That tradition is held dearer by our fellow Australians than any other in our proud history."
He said Australia was fortunate so many in the armed forces were willing to devote their lives to the defence of Australian values.
"One of those core values is the rule of law. This requires the fair trial of any accused person," he said.
"Fundamental to the operation of the rule of law is that no man or woman is above or beyond its reach.
"This is a difficult issue for many, as it tests to the limits not only our respect for Australian values, but the deep and special reverence we have for those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe."
Following his arrest, Australia's richest person, Gina Rinehart, questioned the value of the investigation.
"I don't understand how it can be justified to spend more than $300 million to try for years to bring SAS veterans, who have served our country, towards criminal proceedings, and most recently the arrest of Ben," the mining mogul said in a statement today.
LIVE UPDATES: 'A whole civilisation will die tonight': Trump threatens annihilation
The alleged murders took place between 2009 and 2012 in Afghanistan.
Roberts-Smith has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
"Have we lost sight of the fact that in our inadequately defended country, facing uncertain times, the morale of our defence force has already been brought to its lowest ebb since inception, our defence personnel numbers are inadequate, and recruitment is suffering," Rinehart said in her statement.
READ MORE: How a five-year investigation led to Ben Roberts-Smith's arrest at Sydney Airport
"Surely, the more than $300 million of taxpayers' money would have been far better spent strengthening Australia's security and keeping Australians safe from terrorism, including removing terrorists and their supporters from our country.
"Like many Australians, I hope that compassion and the Aussie spirit is extended to Ben and his family and his duty to our country in the hardship of war is never forgotten."
Rinehart joins One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and former prime minister Tony Abbott in speaking out in support of Roberts-Smith.
READ MORE: Experts send dire fuel crisis warning
"I remain steadfast in my support of Ben Roberts-Smith despite news of his arrest today," Hanson said yesterday.
"Ben, his immediate and broader defence family need the Australian people's support right now and I will not abandon him like so many other politicians.
"Ben was disgracefully arrested in front of his twin 15-year-old girls."
She said Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator had "spent $300 million over 10 years to get to this point".
The investigation into Roberts-Smith was opened in 2021, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said yesterday.
Abbott said he had an "instinctive sympathy" for Roberts-Smith and queried why charges were not brought earlier.
"If Ben Roberts-Smith transgressed, why wasn't this picked up prior to his gallantry awards, and why wasn't any culture of brutality towards prisoners detected by his more senior officers, and dealt with quickly, rather than being allowed to fester, as has been alleged, for over a decade?" he said.
OSI director of investigations Ross Barnett yesterday elaborated on the length of the investigation, pointing out that there was no access to crime scenes 9000km away, nor even an autopsy of the alleged victims.
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
- Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google Play
- Make 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box here
- Sign up to our breaking newsletter here
