If convicted, the 41-year-old male could be sentenced to life in prison. His arrest is the first since a 2020 report suggested investigating 19 active and former soldiers for war crimes.
An Australian veteran has been charged with the alleged murder of an Afghan civilian, as a result of a war crimes investigation.
Former Special Air Service Regiment officer Oliver Schulz, 41, was arrested in New South Wales, according to ABC.
“He murdered an Afghan man while serving in Afghanistan,” the Australian Federal Police said.
His arrest is the first since a 2020 military report revealed that Australian soldiers unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers, and civilians.
The report suggested criminal investigations for 19 active and former Afghan soldiers from 2005 to 2016.
Schulz confronts the possibility of a life sentence if convicted.
In 2012, a soldier named Schulz shot an Afghan civilian in a wheat field in the Uruzgan province of southern Afghanistan, according to helmet footage broadcast by ABC in 2020.
In the coming days, he is anticipated to appear in court in Sydney. Where a magistrate will determine whether or not he will be granted bail.
Australia was a member of a NATO-led international force that trained and fought the Taliban in Afghanistan.
From 1991 to 2021, more than 39,000 Australian soldiers served and 41 were killed.
