The Shawn Ryan Show
The Shawn Ryan Show

#339 Christian Craighead - The Uncensored Story of the Nairobi DusitD2 Attack

September 14, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Day One Man Walked In

On January 15, 2019, at 3:17 PM, a suicide bomber detonated his vest outside the Secret Garden Cafe at Nairobi's DusitD2 hotel complex, killing an American, a British man, an Australian, and two Kenyans. That blast was the signal for four Al-Shabab gunmen in a Toyota to begin spraying automatic fire and throwing grenades at anyone in sight. What followed over the next twenty-two hours would become one of the most extraordinary stories of individual courage in modern counterterrorism—and the British government has spent years trying to stop Christian Craighead from telling it.

The Man and the Morning

Christian Craighead joined the British military at 16, served with the Parachute Regiment and Pathfinder Platoon, and spent nearly fifteen years with 22 SAS on high-risk operations worldwide. In December 2018, he arrived in Kenya as a liaison officer training Kenyan military units. He was the only SAS operator on the ground.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:55) **Opening and Purpose** - Chris Craighead returns to the Shawn Ryan Show to recount the full, uncensored story of the Nairobi DusitD2 attack, fulfilling a promise made in a previous interview.
  • 2 (07:20) **The Hail Mary Before Battle** - Chris explains why he chose the "Hail Mary" prayer before engaging the attackers, revealing it as his instinctive, most frequent prayer.
  • 3 (14:28) **Finding Purpose After the Last Interview** - Chris discusses how his purpose has become clearer since his last appearance on the show, moving from confusion to a defined role in the spiritual war.
  • 4 (25:17) **Synchronicity of the Cross** - Chris recounts a powerful synchronicity involving a cross given to him by a Padre, which was awarded on the exact 20th anniversary of his gallantry cross.
  • 5 (30:05) **The Mysterious Encounter on the Road** - Chris describes the strange encounter with a local man, "Simon," who he felt compelled to give a lift to on the morning of the attack.
  • 6 (41:24) **The Attack Begins and the Drive to the Hotel** - Chris describes the normal Tuesday afternoon that was shattered by the call about the attack, and his frantic, high-speed drive to the complex.
  • 7 (89:42) **Unilateral Entry into the Complex** - Chris makes the critical decision to enter the hotel alone after learning no security forces have gone in, hearing a woman being murdered.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Christian Craighead is a former British SAS operator who served with the Parachute Regiment, Pathfinder Platoon, and 22 SAS during a career focused on counterterrorism and high-risk operations. In 2019, while in Kenya, he responded to the al-Shabaab attack at Nairobi’s DusitD2 complex, helping rescue civilians and engage the attackers, actions that later earned him the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross. He is also the author of One Man In, where he recounts the attack.


Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:

Privacy Isn't Paranoia. It's Protection.

Download Glacier - https://srs.site/glacierapp

Sign up at DraftKings in all 50 states with code SRS, spend $5, and get $200 in rewards within 21 days

Try ZipRecruiter to post your job FOR FREE at http://ziprecruiter.com/SRS 4 out of 5 employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.

Visit https://betterhelp.com/srs #ad

Go to https://helixsleep.com/SRS for 27% off sitewide


Christian Craighead Links:

One Man in - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982177330


Meyli Chapin Links:

Terrorist Attack Girl - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QNLDXWY

Trauma Brace - https://www.traumabrace.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/meylichapin

Website - https://meylichapin.wixsite.com/meyli-chapin


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Shawn Ryan Show

More from this podcast

The Shawn Ryan Show →