New hire
Who is Trump’s new bodyguard Christian Craighead? SAS commando who rescued hostages in Kenya terror attack
Trump personally requested for Craighead to be his bodyguard
AN SAS hero commando has turned heads with his career shift as he became Donald Trump’s personal bodyguard.
Secretive former fighter, Christian Craighead, proved his bravery and smarts when helping to rescue hostages during a terrifying Kenya terror attack.
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Who is Christian Craighead?
Christian Craighead - not his real name - is a British soldier from the north east of England.
He has received military awards for his service after joining the British Army as a teenager.
He entered the Parachute Regiment and was selected for the elite Pathfinder Platoon.
Later he joined the SAS - a British military unit specializing in counter-terrorism - during which he was posted to Nairobi in Kenya to help train security forces.
Craighead was later awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his bravery due to his actions in a shock 2019 terror attack in Nairobi’s DusitD2 hotel.
The terrifying 19-hour siege at the luxury complex started with a suicide bomb detonating, sending shock waves around the world.
Craighead, who was off-duty, heroically sprang into action, throwing his weapons case into his pick-up truck and racing towards the hotel complex.
He shot two of the murderers, saving dozens of lives.
Most read in The US Sun
The SAS commando was praised for his quick actions and awarded the UK’s second-highest military honor – the Conspicuous Gallantry Award.
What happened in the Kenya terror attack?
A coordinated terror attack started on January 15, 2019, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at around 2.30pm local time.
Nairobi terror attack - SWAT team enters DusitD2 hotel complex as assault 'by Al-Shabaab terrorists' unfolds in Kenya
The luxury hotel complex, fitted with restaurants, came under siege and lasted into the next day as authorities desperately tried to save hostages.
This horror situation killed 21 civilians - including a British man, one Kenyan soldier, and five militants.
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However, 27 innocent people emerged alive partially down to Craighead’s act of bravery.
The al-Shabaab terror organization was behind the horrifying tragedy, which was cut short by the heroics of Craighead, US Navy Seals, and local authorities.
Craighead was hoping to reveal the full story in a tell-all book but a High Court ruling banned him from revealing the details.
He is now retired from British forces.
Why is Christian Craighead Donald Trump’s bodyguard?
- who was President of the United States at the time - .
Trump even invited Craighead to a New Jersey rally and introduced the Brit to thousands of MAGA fans.
In January 2025, it was revealed that Craighead had been recruited as security detail by Trump ahead of his second term as President.
A family friend reportedly said the former commando had been recruited by Trump in October 2024, according to the .
“In October last year Trump personally requested a meeting and asked Chris to become one of his bodyguards,” the source reportedly said.
The President-elect also reportedly told people Craighead’s “eagle eyes” wouldn’t have missed the assassin who attempted to kill Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024.
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The former SAS hero reportedly accepted Trump’s invitation in December.
The source added: “Since then he has been working in the shadows around Trump, organizing reconnaissance around his work diary, and will be alongside him when he is sworn into office on January 20."
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