THE head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, appears to have some explaining to do after his daughter posted pictures of herself posing with a gold-plated Kalashnikov on Facebook.

Oxford graduate Corrine Sawers, 23, is seen in a picture posted on her Facebook account holding the weapon in the trademark pose of celebrated female terrorist Leila Khalid.

The gun, now decommissioned, is believed to be from Saddam Hussein’s private collection as Sir John is said to have received one as a memento of his service in Baghdad after the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Corrine had set her profile to be available to view by “friends of friends,” which amounts to around 10,000 people.

The story comes just days after the British spy chief gave a rare public speech to deliver a warning about cyber threats to intelligence services.

As the head of MI6, Sawers and his family are expected to be cautious about revealing details of their private life because they could be potential targets for terrorist assassination.

Sir Sawers’s wife Shelley was criticized last year for uploading intimate photographs on the day John was made the head of MI6, picturing her husband wearing swimming trunks. (SD-Agencies)