Three men have been arrested under the Terrorism Act after a man was killed in a car explosion outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Sunday morning.
A taxi carrying one passenger pulled up just before 11h00 ̶ in fact just as a national two minutes’ silence for Remembrance Sunday was due to begin ̶ and exploded.
The passenger was declared dead at the scene and is yet to be formally identified. The male driver was injured and is in hospital in a stable condition.
Detectives from Counter Terrorism Police North West said three men, aged 29, 26 and 21, were detained in the Kensington area of the city.
They said they were continuing to keep an open mind about the cause of the blast and were working with Merseyside Police as the investigation continued “at pace”. The security service, MI5, is also assisting.
Armed officers have carried out raids on certain residential properties.
Carl Bessant, whose partner had just had a baby, was inside the hospital at the time of the blast. ‘My partner is really shook up to be honest,’ he said.
‘We were so close and she was feeding the baby when it happened. We heard a loud bang and looked out of the window.
‘We saw the car on fire and someone jump out… screaming, and there was someone inside the car.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter: “My thoughts are with all those affected by the awful incident in Liverpool today.
“I want to thank the emergency services for their quick response and professionalism, and the police for their ongoing work on the investigation.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel also tweeted she was “being kept regularly updated on the awful incident”.
[Photo: © EPN/Newscom / Avalon]