For more than two and a half years since the attack on Dusit D2 hotel in Nairobi occurred, the identity of one of the event's most notable heroes that saved many lives remained closely guarded.
Taking to his Instagram account, British Special Air Service (SAS) member Christian Craighead, however, revealed his true identity for the first time.
The soldier, a well-built man with rugged hair and a striking face, noted that he was revealing his identity earlier than he had anticipated.
He explained that he resorted to the move because a single photo of him at Dusit D2 along Riverside Drive, with his identity out, was becoming popular fast.
"I’m doing this earlier than I planned, but the actions of others have forced my hand into prematurely revealing my face.
"This photo and others like it are becoming increasingly available, so I thought I should be the one to share the first with you. Thank you to all those close to me who support, guide, assist, and keep me balanced during this time in my life," explained Craighead.
For a better part of his adult life, Craighead often masked his face or blurred himself in the photos he uploaded on his social media accounts. On Instagram, he has a following of 153,000 people.
Craighead played a pivotal role during the attack that left 21 people dead. The attack was carried out by Al Shabaab Militia Group.
In a snippet from his upcoming book titled One Man In, Craighead, however, offended a section of Kenyans with his claim that he single-handedly fought the terrorists during the Dusit D2 attack.
"For the next twenty-two hours, Chris relied on his nearly three decades of elite military training to win a deadly game of hide-and-seek with a unit of ethnic Somali terrorists who had already detonated one suicide bomb, and were intent on killing as many other people as possible.
"At first on his own, and later as the leader of a small, rag-tag group of soldiers and civilians, Chris moved through the complex where hundreds of innocent hotel staff, guests, and office workers were still trapped. After clearing buildings and shepherding people to safety, he located the terrorists. A battle of guns, grenades, and tactics ensued. Chris and his men made it out. The terrorists did not," read the summary in part.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke at the time, a survivor, Shem Odhiambo, who was at the hotel when the attack unfolded, stated that as much as armed private individuals showed up in time to save lives, the General Service Unit (GSU) response was immediate.
