An injunction preventing a former member of the SAS from publishing a book about his role in a counter-terrorism operation has been extended following an application by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The block on the publication of the book in the UK will remain in effect until the conclusion of a government legal action against the soldier, who is known only by the pseudonym Christian Craighead.
Background
Craighead received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, a medal one level below the Victoria Cross, for his involvement in an incident after an al-Shabaab attack in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2019, which resulted in the deaths of 21 people. He claims to have saved more than 700 individuals from a hotel complex during the assault by armed militants.
The MoD asserts that Craighead’s book contains an alleged breach of a confidentiality contract that he signed upon joining the UK’s special forces. An interim injunction was issued this month, with government barristers returning to the high court on Thursday to request an extension until the legal claim is resolved.
Court Proceedings
Oliver Sanders KC, representing the MoD, stated in court that the claim of breach of contract by Craighead was "straightforward and really unarguable." Although the book has been published in the US, Sanders emphasized that this was irrelevant, as it was available overseas due to Craighead's own actions.
