Police have declared that an explosion outside Liverpool Women’s hospital on Sunday 11 November was a terrorist incident, but at current, the motive behind it is unclear.
Shortly before 11am, as the nation was about to observe a period of silence on Remembrance Sunday, an explosion occurred in a taxi just outside the hospital, in which the driver locked the passenger in the back of the vehicle after spotting what appeared to be explosives. This courageous act of quick thinking could potentially have saved numerous lives, had the suspect been able to leave the taxi and carry out the attack as planned.
The driver, named David Perry, survived the explosion with some injuries but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. It is believed that Perry picked up the passenger in the Rutland Avenue area of the city.
Police also believe that the device was manufactured by the passenger and that the timing of the attack on such a day is a ‘line of inquiry’, though officers cannot draw any definitive conclusions just yet.
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson, from Counter-Terrorism Policing North West spoke to journalists at Merseyside Police headquarters and said: “Our inquiries indicate that an improvised explosive device has been manufactured and our assumption so far is that this was built by the passenger in the taxi. The reason why he then took it to the women’s hospital is unknown, as is the reason for its sudden explosion.
Three suspects aged 21, 26 and 29 have been arrested in connection with the attack on Sunday and another aged 20 was detained a day later in the Kensington area of the city. All four were arrested under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act, under which officers can detain terror suspects without a warrant.
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has praised Perry for his bravery and will now chair an emergency COBRA meeting in response to the attack in Liverpool.
ACC Jackson also added: “Police know the identity of the attacker but will not confirm it at this stage.” More information in relation to the investigation will be released in due course.