SAS hero goes rogue after being shunned by ‘jealous’ comrades
AN SAS soldier who received a bravery medal after singlehandedly defeating jihadis during a Nairobi hotel siege has quit the elite regiment after he was shunned by colleagues, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Footage of the Special Forces hero’s solo mission in the Kenyan capital in January 2018 was seen around the world, and he was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross ( CGC), the UK’s secondhighest military award.
But the crack soldier was so shaken by his treatment from SAS colleagues that he has walked out of the regiment’s Hereford base and, to the dismay of his former bosses, is disclosing details about his mission on social media.
Using t he pseudonym ‘ Chris Craighead’ on Instagram, the veteran has uploaded photos of his Special Forces career, including the picture of him masked and studying last-minute plans before entering the hotel.
A photo of him bursting through a hotel door clutching an assault rifle has the caption: ‘There are events in our lives which remind us that, as always, Who Dares Wins’ – the motto of the SAS.
Last night senior defence officials said they were deeply concerned about the former soldier’s Instagram profile, which could force military chiefs to take legal action. Under strict rules, Special Forces troops must not discuss their missions in public or seek to ‘cash in’ on operations.
The rules were introduced following the furore over books by ex-troopers Chris Ryan and Andy McNab which dramatically raised the SAS’s public profile and led to concerns over Special Forces troops leaking sensitive informat i on which could compromise future operations.
The SAS veteran, who is engaged to official White House photographer Shealah Craighead and recently dined with US President Donald Trump, uses Instagram to promote equipment and weapons favoured by SAS troops – though it is unclear whether he is paid for the endorsements.
A source said: ‘We are worried about his actions online and we want to avoid any legal dispute with him.
‘ He is vulnerable, having only recently left the regiment where he felt undervalued by colleagues.’
Senior officials said they wanted to speak to him urgently in case he reveals his identity or any sensitive information about Special Forces operations.
Top brass are also alarmed at apparent plans for a book and a film about the Africa mission and the man’s friendship with Ryan, who launched a literary and film career after the Bravo Two Zero mission in the 1991 Gulf War in Iraq.
But friends of the disgruntled veteran say the blame lies with SAS officers and troops who denied him credit for his action. One said: ‘ There was a very bitchy response inside the SAS camp to him getting a CGC.
‘ At the time, other blokes had been fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria for months without any official recognition.
‘ Nobody outside the regiment will ever learn what they did. So they turned their back on him, which was really harsh.
‘He deserved several pats on the back and it is such a shame his SAS career has ended like this.’
The shunned veteran was stationed in Kenya to help train the nation’s soldiers when heavily armed jihadis from the al-Shabaab terror group seized the Dusit D2 luxury hotel complex, setting fire to vehicles, detonating explosions and embarking on a mass shooting.
The 19-hour siege left 21 dead, including British charity worker Luke Potter.
The SAS veteran did not respond to messages sent to him on Instagram, asking for a comment.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it did not comment on Special Forces.
‘There was a very bitchy response inside the camp’