One of the gunmen who shot Gardner and Cumbers, Adel al-Dhubaiti, was captured and executed by Saudi authorities in January 2016. [21] Gardner is also an avid bird watcher. He was in Papua New Guinea, he went with Benedict Allen, both worked on a documentary called “Birds of Paradise: The Ultimate Quest” where they were looking for elusive birds of paradise. This was a life long ambition that Gardner had, since he is an experienced birdwatcher. It included the King of Saxony. The documentary was aired over two weeks, in two parts. Al-Suwaidi is a quiet, unexceptional area with creamy villas, flowering bougainvillea. The killer seemed similarly innocent, at first glance. He had 'a nice smiling face and looked as if he knew me', Gardner says. 'He said, "Assalaamu aleikum," (Peace be upon you/I mean you no harm),' before pulling out his gun. 'I always tell Westerners they must offer this greeting,' he continues. 'For me, it has always been a passport to a conversation. This time it was a betrayal of everything I held dear in the Middle East.'

Crisis by Frank Gardner | Waterstones Crisis by Frank Gardner | Waterstones

In 2016, Gardner appeared on Channel 4's coverage of the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in his role as President of the GB Ski Club. He is a keen birdwatcher [35] and presented a September 2009 BBC Archive Hour programme on Sir Peter Scott. [35] In 2019 he was elected President of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Impressive . . .Gardner's debut begins at speed and scarcely draws breath thereafter." * The Times * Written by someone who has been there, done that and knows what it's about, Crisis is a thriller you just can't put down." -- Sir ROGER MOORE Damage limitation, then? He nods. But perhaps there are limits to being able to talk about not being angry without eventually losing your cool. 'I am not turning the other cheek. I am extremely angry with the people who did this. I could never forgive them. It is not as if their parents have written to us saying: "Forgive poor Faisal, he knew not what he did." Nobody has written. None of them care. I condemn them and their families.' And from a country not short of oil money, he has received no compensation. But the sympathetic letters he has received from Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and all over Britain, he has found enormously comforting.Written by someone who has been there, done that and knows what it’s about, Crisis is a thriller you just can’t put down. Sir ROGER MOORE

Crisis by Frank Gardner - review | London Evening Standard Crisis by Frank Gardner - review | London Evening Standard

Frank Gardner has written a fast and exciting story rooted in the present horrifying dangers that surrounds us. Crisis is brimful of an insider's insights and reeks of authority. GERALD SEYMOUR Find sources: "Frank Gardner"journalist– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( November 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) and China is massing troops on its coast across the Strait from Taiwan. This time it looks like they're serious about invasion - an act that would result in war between the People's Republic and the US and its allies, including the UK. He loves to ski, and is pretty good at it, too. After being injured, he took a course for skiers that were disabled. Gardner was able to ski by using a sit ski (also called a bob ski), which allows a disabled person to ski while they sit down. Introducing Luke Carlton - ex-Special Boat Service commando, and now under contract to MI6 for some of its most dangerous missions.On 11 November 1993, Gardner was appointed a captain in the Regular Army Reserve. [11] He returned to the Territorial Army on 24 April 1997, serving in the Educational and Training Services Branch of the Adjutant General's Corps. [12] He was promoted to major in the Territorial Army on 1 July 2006, [13] and retired on 30 July 2021. [14] Banking [ edit ] We arrive in the British Telecom building where I lose Gardner to a glass lift, but not before an old man has come forward to congratulate him. 'One of the many things I admire about you is the way you manage to be so apolitical about the Middle East,' he said. 'It is a magnificent quality.' Gardner thanks him. He goes on to give a short talk about his life, with polish, without notes. He is light and humorous, but explains to his audience: 'There is plenty wrong with the Arab world. I am not starry eyed about it. There are some extremely ugly, unpleasant trends and atrocities being done in the name of Islam.' But he holds on to his idealism. He finishes by urging the audience: 'It is a mountain we all need to climb to convince everyone that we can all live happily together - as we can.' Few thriller debuts possess the confidence and verve of Frank Gardner's CRISIS . . . a book of exhilarating panache. SUNDAY TIMES On June 6, in the year 2004, he was shot six times by al-Qaeda sympathizers, and his cameraman (who was Irish and was named Simon Cumbers) was killed. Most of the bullets that hit him in his torso missed anything vital, except one, which hit him in the spinal nerves. He now uses a wheelchair due to being partially paralyzed in his lower extremities. Later on, Adel al-Dhubaiti (the gunman that shot them) was caught and later killed by Saudi authorities in early 2016.

crisis: How likely is it to escalate into Russia-Ukraine crisis: How likely is it to escalate into

In September 2012, he revealed that Queen Elizabeth II had been upset some years earlier that Abu Hamza al-Masri could not be arrested. The BBC apologised later that day for the revelation. [22] Other media work [ edit ]Gardner was born on 31 July 1961. His father and mother, Robert Neil Gardner (1922–2010) and Evelyn Grace Rolleston (1923–2014), were both diplomats, [1] and when he was six he moved from the UK to the Hague in the Netherlands. In 1951, while second secretary at the British Embassy in Czechoslovakia, his father was expelled from the country for espionage activities after an incident in a prohibited military area where he was shot at. [2] [3] His grandfather was physician John Davy Rolleston. Educated at Saint Ronan's School, and Marlborough College, Gardner was pushed by his teachers into taking up biathlon, which enabled him to travel to Austria to train with the British Army biathlon team. [4] BBC apology to Queen over Abu Hamza disclosure". BBC News. 25 September 2012 . Retrieved 9 September 2020. Gardner was encouraged by his teachers into taking up the biathlon, which enabled him to get to see Austria and train with the British Army biathlon team. He graduated from the University of Exeter in the year 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in the subjects of Arabic and Islamic Studies. He wrote a bestselling memoir called “Blood and Sand” that described his experiences while in the Middle East, and wrote another book that documents his travels to unusual places around the globe. Gardner has also written some books about a character named Luke Carlton, which are from the thriller genre. Gardner obviously has an up-to-the-minute understanding of contemporary warfare and he is also a very good writer. This is a thrilling adventure. LITERARY REVIEW

Crisis: the action-packed Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller

Crisis” is the first novel in the “Luke Carlton” series and was released in the year 2016. Luke Carlton was a Special Boat Service commando, and currently he works under contract to MI6 for some of the most dangerous missions they get. But he adds: 'I have to say it is not that easy because I am in pain a lot of the time, and when I am in pain I can't be a good husband or father. If I am having to deal with agony in my legs or am exhausted and have to lie down, I can't take part in the children's games, which is tough.' Few thriller debuts possess the confidence and verve of Frank Gardner's CRISIS . . . a book of exhilarating panache." * SUNDAY TIMES *Sent into the steaming Colombian jungle to investigate the murder of a British intelligence officer, Luke finds himself caught up in the coils of a plot that has terrifying international dimensions.