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>> News and Comment >> Frank Gardner http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1086814366 Message started by Forum Admin on Jun 9th, 2004, 8:53pm |
Title: Frank Gardner Post by Forum Admin on Jun 9th, 2004, 8:53pm Background piece in Ariel about Frank Gardner, who was critically injured in the shooting incident in Saudi Arabia, in which his cameraman, Simon Cumbers, was killed: WHEN RISK BECAME A REALITY by Sally Hillier BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner was 'critical but stable' in a Saudi hospital on Monday night after the gun attack on Sunday which killed cameraman Simon Cumbers. The incident has shocked colleagues of the two men, both highly respected journalists, and brought home the dangers to news teams in the area Frank Gardner was gunned down in Riyadh the day after he told BBC listeners about increased risks to westerners in Saudi Arabia. In a piece for From Our own Correspondent, broadcast on Saturday, he spoke of how thousands of expatriates were bracing themselves for further violence following last week's al-Qaeda raid on the oil town of Khobar in which 22 people, 19 of them foreigners, were killed. 'This is not the Saudi Arabia I know,' said Gardner. And he knows the country, and indeed the Middle East, very well. Appointed the BBC's first security correspondent in 2003, he has established an unrivalled reputation with his reports on the global war on terror. Equipped with what the corporation describes as 'a unique collection of skills' - he is a fluent Arabic speaker with an extensive knowledge of military and intelligence issues and numerous contacts in the Arab world he is widely respected as a chronicler and analyst of complex events. 'Frank is an outstanding reporter and one of the few correspondents to understand and be able to work across Arabic and western boundaries,' says Vin Ray, deputy head of newsgathering. 'He is an expert on the Middle East, al-Qaeda and the underlying causes of the war on terror.' A graduate in Arabic and Islamic studies, Gardner, who is 42 and married with two children, worked as an investment banker with Saudi International Bank before joining BBC World as a reporter in 1995. Two years later he moved to Dubai, from where he covered a number of countries including Kuwait and Yemen, and in 2000 became the Middle East correspondent based in Cairo. After 9/11 he started offering his services as a specialist reporter on al-Qaeda and international terrorism. 'He more or less invented the job of security correspondent,' says Jonathan Baker, world editor, newsgathering. 'The creation of the post grew out of the work he was doing. It was obvious that there was a hole in the market and that Frank was the person to fill it. When he speaks people sit up and take notice, and he now gets drawn into any story with a terror perspective.' Such is the demand for expert coverage in this area that the BBC recently appointed a second security correspondent. Senior broadcast journalist Gordon Corera has been given a six-month attachment, which he has yet to take up, to help and support Gardner. Meanwhile, goodwill messages have been pouring in for the injured correspondent including many from listeners and viewers in the Middle East. 'Everyone is devastated over what has happened, not least because Frank is a genuinely nice and popular man,' says Baker. Tony Grant, producer of From Our Own Correspondent, describes the journalist, a regular contributor to the programme since joining the BBC, as 'courteous, modest, unassuming... a pleasure to work with'. Moreover he is 'ultra professional'. His knowledge is vast and all his pieces are 'authoritative, descriptive and colourful'. Steve Mitchell, head of radio news, agrees. 'From World Service and Radio 4 to Radio 1, Frank is the personification of the trusted voice of the BBC in the difficult areas of terrorism and security,' he says. 'If he tells you something you know it's right and he tells it in a way that helps all our audiences understand what's going on.' |
Title: Re: Frank Gardner Post by Forum Admin on Jun 14th, 2004, 3:22pm Better news about his condition, from The Guardian BBC man regains consciousness Monday June 14, 2004 The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner has regained consciousness and is showing signs of improvement after he was shot and seriously wounded in Saudi Arabia last week. The King Faisal specialist hospital, where Gardner is being treated, confirmed today he was now conscious of his surroundings. "He is better than before, he is conscious. He cannot speak as he has a tube in his mouth, but his eyes are open," said a spokesman. The BBC also confirmed that Gardner's condition had improved over the weekend. "He is stable, but showing some improvement," a spokeswoman said. Gardner was shot up to 11 times in the stomach, legs and arms in an attack last Sunday that killed his colleague, freelance cameraman Simon Cumbers. He was described as in a critical, but stable condition last week after undergoing extensive surgery. Although his condition is still serious, the BBC, along with the Saudi authorities and a Scotland Yard anti-terrorist team sent to investigate the shooting, will be keen to glean any information Gardner can provide about the incident. The BBC has sent a three-man team to assist the Saudi authorities, amid mounting speculation that the attack on Gardner and Cumbers had been planned with inside information about their movements. The shooting took place in a deprived area of the Saudi capital Riyadh, said to be a stronghold for hardline Islamic elements. The pair had been filming outside of the house of an al-Qaida leader, who had reportedly been shot by Saudia security forces last year. Witnesses reported that gunmen arrived at the scene in two vehicles and shot Gardner, who is said to have pleaded for his life in Arabic. According to a report in the Sunday Times, Cumbers then ran from the scene, carrying his camera for almost a mile before being caught by the attackers and shot in the head. His camera is said to have been recovered and investigators hope it will reveal vital clues. A Saudi police officer who arrived on the scene shortly after the shooting said Gardner was still conscious after the shooting and had appealed for help from passers by saying that he was a Muslim. A crew from a local TV channel had also filmed the immediate aftermath. Saudi investigators arrested the driver and government information official who had accompanied the BBC journalists on the day, in the hours immediately after the incident. They also seized Gardner's laptop computer. A report on the Arab News website today said Saudi security forces had sealed of areas of the al-Suwaidi district in Riyadh and had arrested a number of suspects, although it was not yet clear whether the arrests were connected with the BBC shooting. The BBC said there had been no further developments in the inquiry. "We are working very closely with the Saudi authorities and the British embassy. It's too early to say when it will report - it's open ended," said a spokeswoman. |
Title: Re: Frank Gardner Post by Forum Admin on Jun 27th, 2004, 8:56pm Frank Gardner has been moved to a hospital in the UK, BBC News Online reported on Sunday, June 27: Shot BBC correspondent back in UK A BBC reporter shot in Saudi Arabia this month is back in the UK and is making good progress, the BBC has said. Frank Gardner, the BBC's security correspondent, arrived in Britain two days ago and was taken to a UK hospital for further treatment. Gardner, 42, and 36-year-old cameraman Simon Cumbers were both shot in a southern suburb of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on 6 June. Simon Cumbers died in the attack. They were filming the house of an al-Qaeda militant when they were shot with a machine pistol, possibly from a passing jeep. Gardner's wife Amanda thanked the Saudi Government for ensuring her husband got medical treatment in the capital, Riyadh, and for arranging for him to be flown back. In a statement she said: "I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all the doctors and medical staff at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, without whose skill and care Frank's recovery would not have been possible." Cumbers' widow, Louise Bevan, has said a private funeral is to be held for him in his hometown of Navan, County Meath, on Tuesday June 29. |
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