Former SAS soldier Christian Craighead has criticised the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) for preventing him from publishing a book detailing his involvement in the rescue mission during the DusitD2 terror attack.
Craighead reportedly eliminated five terrorists during the attack, and upon leaving the SAS, he sought to publish an account of his experiences.
A report by the Telegraph on Saturday indicated that Craighead revealed that he did not agree with the reasons MOD gave him for denying him the chance to publish his book.
He further indicated that the book was aimed at retelling his experience during the DustD2 attack that left 21 people dead in January 2019.
“I did everything I could to get this book published, including working with the UK’s MoD in good faith and finally requesting a judicial review. For reasons I don’t personally and professionally agree with, the MoD and the courts have decided that this book cannot be published in its current form," he stated according to the outlet.
“As a point of note, the book focused on the January 2019 incident in Kenya and not on my career in 22 SAS. The story about that day in Kenya is not going away. I’m sure we will continue to see more videos and documentaries appearing on YouTube and other media platforms.
“However, a source of frustration to me is, that I and others know the real story and my role in it is much more brutal than what people think happened. Like the story, I’m not going away either," he added.
Craighead also disclosed that he had become aware of allegations from senior military figures accusing him of displaying a mutineer attitude.
A mutineer attitude refers to a soldier's impulsive action of undertaking tasks and challenges without waiting for clearance from their commander.
Craighead defended his actions, stating that he rushed to DusitD2 and saved lives regardless of whether he had received clearance or not.
“I’ve also heard of people in the Foreign Office saying Mr Craighead should not have done that thing in Kenya," he stated.
“There are lots of people in the Foreign Office who really support me but also senior members of the Foreign Office, who said he shouldn’t have done that because if I had failed they could have said it’s all failed because of that man, and I would have been a scapegoat."
In 2023, a British Court issued orders halting the former Special Forces soldier from releasing a book detailing his involvement in neutralizing terrorists during the Dusit Attack in 2019.
The court invoked regulations barring security agents from disclosing sensitive information that could jeopardize national security when issuing the orders.
“He has only been prevented from giving an account of an operation, the Dusit incident, in which he engaged as a member of UK special forces,” Justice Steyn stated during a private hearing.
