LONDON, England- A British court has extended an order preventing former Special Air Service soldier Christian Craighead from publishing a book in the United Kingdom about his involvement in the response to the 2019 DusitD2 terrorist attack in Nairobi.
The injunction will remain in force until the conclusion of legal proceedings brought against Craighead by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence.
Craighead, a pseudonym used to protect the former soldier’s identity, wrote a memoir titled One Man In, detailing his role during the attack at the DusitD2 hotel and office complex on January 15, 2019.
The book has already been published in the United States, but the latest ruling prevents its publication in Britain.
Ministry cites confidentiality agreement
The Ministry of Defence argues that the memoir breaches a confidentiality agreement Craighead signed when he joined Britain’s special forces.
The contract prevents former special forces personnel from disclosing information about their service without express written authorisation from the ministry.
Oliver Sanders KC, representing the ministry, told the High Court in London that its breach-of-contract case was straightforward.
The ministry said the book’s publication outside Britain did not affect its legal case because the overseas release allegedly resulted from Craighead’s own breach of the agreement.
Craighead did not attend the latest hearing and was not represented.
Judge extends publication ban
Justice Saini ruled that Craighead had willingly signed the confidentiality agreement and had been repeatedly informed that he would not receive permission to publish the book.
The judge said the Ministry of Defence had an overwhelming case for extending the injunction while the wider legal dispute remained unresolved.
Craighead served in the British armed forces from 1992 and was a member of the special forces between 2006 and 2020.
He previously challenged the ministry’s refusal to approve the memoir, but the High Court rejected his case in 2023 after finding that the restrictions on his freedom of expression were justified and proportionate.
The earlier proceedings were partly conducted in private because the court said public discussion of the Ministry of Defence’s national security assessment could expose the information it was seeking to protect.
The ministry has neither confirmed nor denied whether Craighead’s account of the DusitD2 operation is accurate, in line with its policy of not commenting on special forces activities.
Decorated for role in Nairobi rescue
Craighead received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, Britain’s second-highest award for bravery in combat, for his involvement in the response to the DusitD2 attack.
The assault began when al-Shabaab militants targeted the 14 Riverside Drive complex in Nairobi, killing 21 people.
Craighead was photographed wearing tactical equipment over civilian clothes as he entered the complex, assisted Kenyan security officers and helped evacuate people trapped inside.
He says more than 700 people were rescued from the complex during the operation.
Kenyan security forces later killed the attackers and declared the siege over the following day.
