The Australian Federal Police has defended its prosecution of the nation's most decorated living soldier as a media leak about his arrest comes under scrutiny.
Ben Roberts-Smith was charged with murdering or ordering the murders of five unarmed detainees while deployed in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012, after he was sensationally arrested on the tarmac of Sydney Airport in April.
Following a flight from Brisbane, the Victoria Cross recipient was met by one media outlet's camera crew as AFP officers walked him off the plane.
No other media organisations were made aware of the arrest ahead of time.
The department responsible for investigating war crimes has asked the federal anti-corruption commission to probe the leak, and on Thursday, AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett backed the decision.
