Bandit’s thuggish new look has divided fans, with the most-liked reply to the leak from Obutu on Twitter reading simply “please tell me this is a joke”. As another reply points out, though, the skin perfectly fits his backstory: Bandit worked with the Bundespolizei and its elite tactical unit, Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG 9), on counter-terrorist operations. He went undercover to combat groups such as the Red Army Faction and the Hannover chapter of the Hell’s Angels, with whom he was embedded for four years, so this explains where he got the tattoos and leather jacket.
Siege’s elite skins are often inspired by the relevant character’s backstory, or the history of the units they serve. For example, Thatcher’s elite skin is inspired by the uniform his unit – the SAS – wore in perhaps their most famous operation, the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege.