Australian Federal Police arrest former Australian solder charged with war crime

Australian Federal Police said the man, who will appear in a NSW local court on Monday afternoon, is alleged to have murdered an Afghan man while deployed to the country.

He is expected to be charged on Monday afternoon with one count of War Crime-Murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Monday's arrest marks the first in relation to the "credible" findings of war crimes as revealed in the 2020 Brereton report.

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Justice Paul Brereton's four-year enquiry revealed credible evidence that 25 special forces personnel were involved in the unlawful killing of 39 individuals, mostly prisoners, farmers and civilians.

The Office of Special Investigations was established in late 2020 to begin its investigations into the alleged war crimes following the report's recommendations.

The office's director-general, Chris Moraitis, told senators in February his team was investigating "between 40 and 50" alleged offences and expected to hand Commonwealth prosecutors a brief by mid-2023.

"Investigations are under ongoing review and that number may increase if additional matters are raised, but over time I expect it will reduce overall as it becomes clear which allegations may be substantiated to the high threshold required for a criminal justice process," he said in an estimates hearing.

"As always, we are conscious of the potential impact on anyone affected by our investigations and my teams are unwavering in their commitment to ensuring allegations of war crimes within our remit are subject to fair, thorough and impartial investigation without unnecessary delay.

"War crimes investigations are inherently complex, but I remain optimistic a first full brief of evidence will be ready for the Commonwealth Director of Prosecutions to consider in the months ahead."