Key facts
- A UK high court extended an injunction blocking a former SAS soldier from publishing a book about a counter-terrorism operation.
- The Ministry of Defence is pursuing legal action against the soldier, known as Christian Craighead.
- Craighead received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his role in a 2019 incident in Nairobi where 21 people died.
- The MoD alleges the book breaches a confidentiality contract signed by Craighead upon joining the special forces.
- The book has been published in the US, but the MoD claims this is due to the defendant's "wrongdoing".
- Mr Justice Saini believed the MoD had an "overwhelming case for an injunction".
A UK high court has extended an injunction that prevents a former member of the SAS, identified only as Christian Craighead, from publishing a book about his involvement in a 2019 counter-terrorism operation in Nairobi. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is pursuing legal action against the soldier, arguing that the book breaches a confidentiality contract he signed upon joining the UK's special forces.
Craighead, who received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his actions during an al-Shabaab attack in Nairobi that resulted in 21 deaths, claims to have saved over 700 people from a hotel complex. The MoD contends that Craighead "willingly entered into" the contractual agreement and was "clearly and consistently told by his superiors" that publication would not be permitted.
Government barristers argued in court that the claim of breach was "straightforward and really unarguable." While the book has been published in the US, the MoD stated this was irrelevant and due to the defendant's "own wrongdoing." Mr Justice Saini, in extending the injunction, agreed with the MoD, stating they had an "overwhelming case" and that Craighead appeared to have committed a "flagrant breach" of the contract with "his eyes open to the potential consequences."
Craighead previously lost a legal challenge in 2023 when the MoD refused to allow the book's publication, citing national security concerns. He served in the armed forces from 1992 and in special forces from 2006 to 2020, signing an agreement that bound him "for the rest of my life" not to disclose information about his service without express prior written authority from the MoD, which has not been granted for the book.