A former Special Forces commando who was awarded the George Cross for saving 200 people in the Westgate Mall terror attack has been shot in a gun battle with two attackers.
Dominic Troulan, 54, was accosted by the two gunmen on a motorbike while walking in a Nairobi suburb.
The former Special Forces commando, who became the first civilian in 41 years to win the nation’s top gallantry honour for his extraordinary role in the Nairobi shopping mall siege, once again showed his bravery, drawing his 9mm handgun and shooting both men dead during the ambush.
The former Royal Marine, credited with saving more than 100 lives after rushing to help during the 2013 Al-Shabaab attack, suffered two wounds to his leg and took himself to a hospital for surgery, The Sun reports.
The dramatic ambush sparked Foreign Office fears that Mr Troulan has been targeted by Al-Shabab militants for assassination to avenge his Westgate mall heroics.
But Mr Troulan, who lives in Kenya and works as a security consultant, has told friends he believes the attackers were simply petty thieves trying to steal his backpack.
A friend of the hero told the Sun: “Dom was walking along a road with a rucksack on his back when two men on a motorbike passed him and pulled up.
“The passenger dismounted and approached Dom.
“There was a lot of shouting, and the two of them pulled their weapons simultaneously.
“Dom shot the first guy twice, and then the driver ran at him shooting, so he put a couple of rounds into him too.
“Both gunmen somehow got back on their bike and drove off, but crashed 500 yards down the road.
“Inquiries were made via our network, and it transpired both men died of their wounds soon afterwards.”
Mr Troulan, who was in the military for 30 years, took himself to the hospital where the two bullets were removed.
The newspaper reports that The British High Commission in Nairobi were told of the attack on Mr Troulan, and initially feared he had been targeted by the notorious East African terror group.
A Foreign Office source said: “The High Commission knows Mr Troulan and are aware of the incident. However, he didn’t require any assistance from us and didn’t request any support.”
Additional Reporting by the Sun
