Liverpool explosion declared terrorist incident by police
Four people have been arrested in connection to the blast
Last updated 30th Nov 2021
Merseyside Police have declared the explosion at Liverpool Women's Hospital a terrorist incident.
At a press conference today police said the explosion which happened shortly after 11am on Remembrance Sunday is being treated as a terrorist incident and the investigation is ongoing.
One man was killed and a taxi was destroyed in the blast with the driver receiving hospital treatment.
The male passenger, that was declared dead at the scene, is yet to be formally identified.
The driver, also a man, was injured at the scene has been released from the hospital in a stable condition.
Taxi's passenger believed to have had the device
Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable and Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North West Russ Jackson said that it is believed that the male passenger had built an improvised explosive device.
However, the reason why he then took it to the Women's Hospital is unknown, as is the reason for its sudden explosion.
Russ Jackson said:
"The circumstances, as we understand them to be, are that yesterday shortly before 11am, a local taxi driver picked up a fare in the Rutland Avenue area of Liverpool.
"The fare, a man, had asked to be taken to the Liverpool Women's Hospital which was about 10 minutes away. As the taxi approached the drop off point at the hospital, an explosion occurred from within car, which quickly engulfed it in flames.
"Remarkably, the taxi driver, escaped from the cab. He has been treated for the injuries he sustained and has now been released from hospital."
Unknown motivation
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North West Russ Jackson said it was not clear what the motivation for this incident was.
"Our enquiries 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.
"We are of course aware that there were remembrance events just a short distance away from the Hospital and that the ignition occurred shortly before 11am.
"We cannot at this time draw any connection with this but it is a line of inquiry we are pursuing."
Arrests made
Three men have been arrested, aged 29, 26 and 21 years old, in the Kensington area of the city in connection with the blast.
A short while ago, again in the Kensington area, another man aged 20-years-old was arrested under the Terrorism Act.
The suspects will be interviewed by Counter Terrorism officers later today.
Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said that at the moment there is no specific threat for the area, but she has asked for increased patrol.
She emphasised people's support is needed more than ever and that is important to not speculate before official information has been released.
The Prime Minister thanked the emergency services yesterday (14th November) for their quick response.
Via a post on Twitter, he said: "I want to thank the emergency services for their quick response and professionalism, and the police for their ongoing work on the investigation."
Pictures from the Liverpool Women's Hospital explosion
Police cordon off a road in Liverpool as they continue investigations
Police extend the cordon as evening falls
Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.