Following the death of a man in a car explosion outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital, three men have been arrested under the Terrorism Act.
A taxi carrying one passenger pulled up just before 11:00 a.m. GMT on Remembrance Sunday, just as a national two-minute silence was about to begin, and exploded.
The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene and has yet to be identified formally.
The male driver was injured and is in a stable condition in the hospital.
Three men, aged 29, 26, and 21, were detained in the city’s Kensington area, according to Counter-Terrorism Police North West detectives.
They said they were keeping an open mind about the cause of the explosion and were cooperating with Merseyside Police as the investigation progressed “at pace.” MI5, the security service, is also assisting.
Armed officers raided properties on Rutland Avenue near Sefton Park, as well as Sutcliffe Street and Boaler Street in Kensington.
Specialist officers remain stationed outside a home on Rutland Avenue in an operation linked to the explosion, according to police.
Negotiators from the police department are on the scene, a fire crew is on standby, and a number of residents have been evacuated.
A large cordon remains in place, guarded by uniformed officers.
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Carl Bessant, whose partner had recently given birth, was inside the hospital at the time of the explosion. “To be honest, my partner is really shaken,” he said.
“We were so close, and she was feeding the baby at the time.” We looked out the window after hearing a loud bang. “We saw the car on fire and someone jumps out, screaming, and there was someone inside the car.” The hospital was closed, no one in or out, they said, but people were coming in through the back door.”
“My thoughts are with all those affected by the awful incident in Liverpool today,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter. “I want to thank the emergency services for their quick response and professionalism, and the police for their ongoing work on the investigation.”
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, also tweeted that she was “being kept regularly updated on the awful incident.”
