Simon Cumbers

Simon Cumbers (January 23 1968 - June 6, 2004) was an Irish-born freelance journalist working for the BBC who was murdered by Al Qaeda while filming an Al Qaeda safehouse in Saudi Arabia.

Cumbers was born in Ireland in 1968. He was educated in St. Patrick's Classical School in Navan in County Meath. An editor of a school magazine Tuarim and local radio broadcaster with pirate radio station Royal County Radio while in 'St. Pats' Simon worked initially with the Drogheda Independent and the Ipswich Evening Star, where he worked as a features writer, before becoming the Chief Reporter of Dublin's Capitol Radio (now called FM104).

In 1990 Cumbers moved to the United Kingdom to work with variety of British broadcasters, including Sky News, ITN, APTN and the BBC. Cumbers worked both as a journalist and a producer. In the late 1990s he retrained and became a cameraman also, establishing with his wife a company. Locum Productions, to supply cameramen to broadcasters.

Cumbers and BBC correspondent Frank Gardner were filming Al Quada safehouse in Saudi Arabia when they were attacked. Gardner was shot on location and critically wounded while Cumbers was chased on foot for nearly a mile through neighbouring streets before being shot in the head.

Simon Cumbers was married to the BBC journalist Louise Bevan.