A British High Court judge has extended an injunction stopping a former SAS soldier, identified only by the pseudonym Christian Craighead, from publishing a book about his role in a counter-terrorism operation at a Nairobi hotel in 2019. The order will remain in place until the conclusion of a civil legal action brought by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which accuses Craighead of breaching a confidentiality contract he signed upon joining the UK's special forces.
Craighead received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, a decoration one level below the Victoria Cross, for his conduct following an al-Shabaab attack on a hotel complex in Nairobi that killed 21 people. He claims to have evacuated more than 700 civilians from the site during the assault. The book detailing his role in the rescue has been published in the United States, but the UK court has blocked its publication in the UK.
The Ministry of Defence argues that Craighead breached a lifelong confidentiality agreement he signed when he joined the UK's special forces. Government barrister Oliver Sanders KC told the London court that the case against Craighead was "straightforward and really unarguable," pointing to a contract Craighead signed that required a "solemn undertaking binding me for the rest of my life" not to disclose information about his special forces service without written MoD approval.
Sanders argued that Craighead's contract was essential to his service in the UK special forces, and that without it, he would not have been in Nairobi, received training, or had access to equipment and support. The judge, Mr Justice Saini, ruled in favour of extending the injunction, finding that Craighead had "willingly entered into" the agreement and had been "clearly and consistently told by his superiors" that publication would not be permitted.
The judge described the MoD's position as an "overwhelming case for an injunction," adding that Craighead appeared to have committed a "flagrant breach" of his contractual obligations with full awareness of the potential consequences. This is not the first time Craighead has faced legal setbacks over the book, having lost a separate challenge against the MoD in 2023 after the department refused to authorise publication on national security grounds.
Craighead, who joined the British Army in 1992 and served in special forces from 2006 to 2020, did not appear in court and was unrepresented. The book's publication in the United States was not considered a mitigating factor by the court, with Sanders stating that it was only available overseas due to Craighead's own wrongdoing.
The injunction will remain in place until the conclusion of the civil legal action brought by the Ministry of Defence. The case highlights the ongoing tension between Craighead's desire to share his story and the Ministry of Defence's need to protect sensitive information.
Key points
- UK court extends injunction blocking ex-SAS soldier from publishing book on 2019 Nairobi counter-terrorism operation
- Ministry of Defence accuses Craighead of breaching confidentiality contract signed upon joining UK's special forces
- Craighead claims to have evacuated over 700 civilians during the 2019 Nairobi hotel complex attack
