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Adam Bannister is a contributor to IFSEC Global, having been in the role of Editor from 2014 through to November 2019. Adam also had stints as a journalist at cybersecurity publication, The Daily Swig, and as Managing Editor at Dynamis Online Media Group.
June 19, 2018

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Broadcaster and security journalist Frank Gardner opened the keynote arena at IFSEC, telling the audience that terror attacks on the UK mainland last year had reached a ‘new plateau’.

“The terror threat is still severe – the second highest level – which means a terror attack is highly likely,” he said.

Although the chances of being caught up in a terror attack were slim, he added.

Widely respected in his field, Frank Gardner OBE has covered the ‘War on Terror’ for 16 years and is known as a leading commentator on defence, the Middle East and security.

In 2004 Frank was seriously injured in a gun attack in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, when working for the BBC. He and his cameraman Simon Cumbers were travelling with a government minder, and had no reason to believe their officially sanctioned trip represented any danger. Suddenly they were ambushed by two carloads of men, later identified as Al-Qaeda sympathisers. Cumbers was killed by a bullet; Gardner, shot six times at point-blank range, was left to die.

Terror attacks were now being carried out by far right extremists not just ISIS and al Qaeda, he told the audience.

They all share the common goal of causing maximum carnage, showing no mercy for their victims and targeting concentrated areas of civilians, such as airports.

Frank urged the audience to get involved with the day’s keynote debates, including discussions around the laptop ban on some flights.

He then introduced IFSEC keynote speakers Michael Chertoff, Co-founder & Executive Chairman of The Chertoff Group and former Security Minister Baroness Neville-Jones.

IFSEC International has another day to run after today – it’s not too late to book your ticket!

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