What started as an uneventful day on January 15, 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya, would turn into a deadly terrorist siege at the DusitD2 Complex, carried out by the terrorist group al-Shabaab. In the opening hours of the siege, Kenyan security forces worked to isolate the terrorists and evacuate casualties. An off-duty British SAS soldier, Christian Craighead, grabbed his rifle, threw on his plate carrier and mask, and began entering the DusitD2 Complex alongside Kenyan security teams to encounter the enemy and evacuate civilians.
On that fateful day, Craighead didn’t hesitate. He chose to use his tactical skills, knowledge, and experience to save lives. As the story of the terrorist siege developed, so did the legend and heroism of Craighead. News cameras captured him assisting people, working alongside security forces, and moving the wounded. Multiple iconic photographs captured his heroism that day, but one in particular is seared into people’s memories: Christian, masked up and entering the DusitD2 Complex alone, moving forward with courage toward a cause greater than himself.
After the conclusion of the tragic DusitD2 Complex attack, where 22 people lost their lives, Craighead’s legend continued to grow. In popular firearms communities throughout the internet, he became known as “Obi-Wan Nairobi.” Over the years, Christian has shared his story and experiences with the world, eventually leading him to write a memoir.
In 2023, the Ministry of Defence blocked his memoir from being published. After years of litigation and fighting for his story to be told, Craighead’s memoir is finally seeing the light of day. Tomorrow, Christian Craighead’s memoir, One Man In, will be released in bookstores and online.
Synopsis
From book publisher Simon & Schuster’s website
The gripping and heroic firsthand account—like American Sniper mixed with a real-life version of Die Hard—by an off-duty special forces soldier who battled against a terrorist attack for twenty-two hours, and saved scores of American, Kenyan, and European lives.
After an otherwise ordinary morning of training with his firearms, British SAS soldier Chris Craighead was just beginning to relax in his new home in the bustling city of Nairobi, Kenya. Then the phone rang.
It was a friend, a former British soldier. In the background, Chris heard gunfire. The friend gave the address of an upscale DusitD2 hotel and office complex in Nairobi’s affluent Westgate neighborhood. He said it was under attack.
Within minutes, Chris was in his pickup truck with his weapons case in the back seat, racing to the scene. For the next twenty-two hours, he relied on his nearly three decades of elite military training to win a deadly game of hide-and-seek with a unit of ethnic Somali terrorists who had already detonated one suicide bomb and were intent on killing as many other people as possible.
Told in white-knuckle, minute-by-minute detail, One Man In is an unforgettable true story of heroism from a special forces soldier who happened to be in the right place at the right time—and decided to act.
Price & Availability
MSRP: $30.00
Availability: Now in-store and online at major booksellers, including Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and more.
The Bottom Line
After years of stalling tactics and court battles, Mr. Craighead is finally allowed to tell his side of the story, detailing what happened during the DusitD2 Complex attack and how he quietly became a hero.
One Man In offers readers an opportunity to hear Craighead’s account of that day and the experiences that shaped his story. His actions are a reminder of the ideals of courage and heroism that many of us strive to achieve in our own lives.