Former SAS Christian Craighead banned from publishing Nairobi’s DusitD2 memoir in UK

A former Special Air Service soldier has been prevented from publishing a memoir in the UK about his involvement in the response to the 2019 DusitD2 terror attack in Nairobi, after the High Court extended an injunction sought by the Ministry of Defence.

The order concerning the former soldier, known publicly under the pseudonym Christian Craighead, will remain in force while the Ministry of Defence pursues legal proceedings over the proposed publication of his book, One Man In.

The memoir describes Craighead’s account of his involvement in the response to the attack on the DusitD2 hotel and office complex in Nairobi on January 15, 2019.

The book has been published in the United States, but the latest court order prevents its publication in Britain.

MoD argues memoir breaches confidentiality agreement

The Ministry of Defence’s case centres on a confidentiality agreement that Craighead signed as a condition of service with UK Special Forces.

Court documents show that members of UK Special Forces are required to obtain “express prior authority in writing” before publishing information concerning their work. Craighead signed the confidentiality agreement on multiple occasions during his selection for the SAS.

The MoD previously refused permission for One Man In, saying the manuscript contained a detailed account of a UK Special Forces operation covered by the confidentiality agreement.

In correspondence disclosed during earlier proceedings, the MoD told Craighead that material describing UK Special Forces operations would have to be removed, while accounts of his wider life and military service could potentially be considered for publication.

The ministry’s latest legal action concerns the alleged breach of that agreement. The government maintains that the fact the book was published overseas does not prevent it from pursuing its case in Britain.

Craighead was not represented at the latest hearing, according to reports of the proceedings.

Previous legal challenge rejected

The dispute has already reached the High Court.

In 2023, Craighead challenged the MoD’s refusal to authorise publication, arguing that the decision unlawfully interfered with his freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The High Court rejected the challenge. The court found that the requirement for prior approval and the refusal to authorise the memoir constituted a justified interference with his Article 10 rights, having regard to national-security considerations.

The proceedings were conducted largely in private because the court concluded that publicly examining the government’s national-security assessment could itself reveal information the restrictions were intended to protect.

The judiciary said at the time that the MoD neither confirmed nor denied the accuracy of information contained in the memoir and did not comment publicly on UK Special Forces activities.

Craighead’s identity has also been protected by an anonymity order, with the courts using the pseudonym “Christian Craighead” in published proceedings.

What happened during the Nairobi attack?

The DusitD2 attack began on January 15, 2019, when al-Shabaab militants attacked a commercial complex containing the DusitD2 hotel, offices and other businesses in Nairobi.

The assault continued into January 16 and resulted in the deaths of 21 people. Kenyan security forces eventually brought the siege to an end.

Craighead was among the international security personnel involved in the response. His account of the operation forms the central subject of One Man In, although the British government has not publicly confirmed or denied the accuracy of his description of the Special Forces operation.

The US State Department later described the attack as an al-Shabaab assault on the six-building complex, which included shops, offices and the hotel.

The attack was one of the most serious terrorist incidents in Kenya in recent years and prompted a major security response.

Book remains at centre of legal dispute

The latest injunction means the dispute is now focused not only on whether Craighead can publish the memoir but also on the alleged contractual consequences of publishing material covered by his Special Forces confidentiality obligations.

The case illustrates the unusual legal restrictions surrounding former members of Britain’s Special Forces, whose service agreements can impose continuing limits on the disclosure of operational information.

For now, One Man In remains unavailable for publication in the UK while the legal proceedings continue.

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