A former detective has shared his theory on why Ben Roberts-Smith was arrested in Sydney airport instead of his home state Queensland, claiming that it seemed like “an operational decision and orchestration.”
The SAS veteran was arrested last week and charged with five counts of the war crime of murder over the alleged deaths of Afghan nationals between 2009 and 2012.
The Daily Telegraph previously reported that Roberts-Smith had offered to present himself to a police station if authorities were to charge him with offences related to the war crimes investigation
On Monday, former Australian Federal Police (AFP) detective superintendent David Craig criticised the “surprise arrest”, claiming that authorities wanted the case to be heard in NSW.
“If you spend 10 years investigating something and a four-year investigation solely on what his actions may or may not have been in Afghanistan, you shouldn’t need to have a surprise arrest done in front of the cameras airside at the airport,” Craig told Sky News host Peta Credlin.
“Why wouldn’t you simply arrange to meet him at the courthouse in Brisbane, charge him, and then do a media release saying this person has been charged with these allegations?
“I’m sure he’ll want to return to Queensland, his family’s there. Why was it done that way?” he continued.
“It does not seem to me like a necessity. It seems like an operational decision and orchestration.”
The detectives claims comes after Nine Newspapers reported that a “well-placed” inside source suggested authorities may have waited to arrest Roberts-Smith in NSW “because they wanted access to a wider and more diverse jury pool”.
They also reportedly claimed that the veteran “might have preferred a jury in a more conservative state, either his original home of Western Australia or his adopted home town of Brisbane”.
Following the arrest, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said at a press conference last week the charges followed “a complex investigation that has been undertaken thoroughly and meticulously”.
She added that “number of operation considerations” were factored in to when and where Roberts-Smith was arrested.
Image: AFP/ Channel Ten
