Who is Trump’s new bodyguard Christian Craighead? SAS commando who rescued hostages in Kenya terror attack
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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."