“A gripping study of the collateral damage caused by government decision making in war... an expertly researched study of government duplicity,” said The Australian of Stephen Davis’ book Operation Trojan Horse. In 1990 British Airways Flight 149 departed Heathrow airport, destined for Kuala Lumpur. Instead it stopped to refuel in Kuwait as Iraqi troops amassed on the border – despite intelligence of an imminent invasion – delivering the 400 passengers and crew into the hands of Saddam Hussein to be used as ‘human shields’. How this came to pass is allegedly a tale of ‘deniable’ intelligence operations, with dramatic consequences for the civilians caught up in it, and no one held accountable. Crafted with the cooperation of survivors and input from a senior intelligence source, Davis, an award-winning journalist or editor for outlets including The Independent on Sunday, The Sunday Times and The New Statesman brings the story to light. In conversation with Moana Maniapoto.