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Minister of Defence asks publishers to halt distribution of new book Charlie One

The British Ministry of Defence wants the Kildare based publisher of Charlie One not to distribute the book
The British Ministry of Defence wants the Kildare based publisher of Charlie One not to distribute the book The British Ministry of Defence wants the Kildare based publisher of Charlie One not to distribute the book

THE British Ministry of Defence has tried to stop the distribution of an explosive new book that lifts the lid on the British army’s undercover war against republicans.

The Ministry of Defence has asked the Kildare based publishers of Charlie One - which hit the shelves earlier this month - to halt the distribution of the book.

The launch of the book was extensively covered by the Irish News and other media outlets earlier this month and it is widely available in Ireland and Britain.

Publisher Conor Graham of Merrion Press said he is not “overly concerned” by the interest taken by military chiefs in the book.

“It’s not unexpected given the sensitivity of the material we have published,” he said.

The book's author, a Cork-born former British soldier who writes under the pseudonym Sean Hartnett revealed how he attempted to join the Provisional IRA before eventually signing up to serve in the British army.

He worked as a technician with the secret Joint Communications Unit - Northern Ireland, previously known as the Force Research Unit and was involved in a series of undercover operations.

The MoD failed to respond to requests for a comment.

However, it is reported to have said: "While we would not comment on individual cases, the security of our armed forces is paramount".