An explosion outside Liverpool Women's Hospital, on Sunday, November 14, which has since been ruled a 'terror attack' left one person dead. A suicide bomber blew himself up in a car. According to reports, the bomber targeted a Remembrance Day service in Liverpool but after getting stuck in traffic diverted the cab to the Liverpool Woman's Hospital.
The cab's driver, after growing suspicious of the bomber's activity, locked him in and jumped out of the car when the bomb went off. The driver, David Perry was hailed a hero for his courageous act. Police have since arrested four suspects in the ongoing terror probe. The suicide bomber is said to have moved to Britain from the Middle East several years ago. The identities of the suspects in custody or the bomber were not clear at the moment.
Who is the 'phantom' suicide bomber?
The suspect is believed to have settled in Britain from the Middle East several years ago, security sources informed. MailOnline reports that MI5 was not aware of his existence before the bombing. He is understood to have built the bomb at home in Liverpool. A video filmed by a witness showed armed officers scaling the rear wall of a Kensington terraced house, which was linked to the suspect.
'Significant items' believed to include pieces of equipment used in bomb-making, were found at two addresses, one in Sutcliffe Street and a second at Rutland Avenue in Sefton Park. Officers were searching both places. Investigators have 'attributed' the suspect to both the addresses. Police, however, are not yet sure where he lived. Police are yet to establish if the suspect worked alone or part of a cell. Britain's security services are working on the investigation with counter-terrorism police in a bid to confirm whether it was an Islamist-inspired attack.
Other suspects
Officers arrested three men aged 21, 26, and 29 on Sunday under S41 of the Terrorism Act at a terraced house in Sutcliffe Street, Liverpool. Another man, aged 20 was arrested on Monday over suspicions of involvement in the terror attack when he returned to the same property.
Another attack 'highly likely'
British Prime Minister hosted a COBRA meeting at Downing Street on Monday, November 15. Experts from police and the security services in the meeting hinted that another attack on British soil is now 'highly likely' after the car explosion outside Liverpool hospital. The Prime Minister, in a COVID-19 conference, urged the public to be 'vigilant'. "What yesterday showed above all is that the British people will never be cowed by terrorism, we will never give in to those who seek to divide us with senseless acts of violence," he said.
Home Secretary Priti Patel also noted that the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) has increased the UK threat level from "substantial to severe". "It's because the incident we saw yesterday was the second in a month," she added. UK's terror threat level was at 'substantial' since February 4 this year.
