Russ Jackson in charge of anti-terrorist police in the region, said Monday that the bomb that exploded in the vehicle was “fabricated” and brought into the vehicle by the passenger.
Le Monde with AFP
The explosion of a taxi, Sunday 14 November, before a women’s hospital in Liverpool (North of England), was described as “terrorist incident” by anti-terrorist police in charge of the investigation. As part of the investigation, three men aged 29, 26 and 21 were arrested in the district of Kensington, Liverpool, under the Terrorism Act, announced Sunday night police.
At a press conference, Russ Jackson in charge of anti-terrorist police in the region, said a fourth man, aged 20, was arrested on Monday and that the bomb which exploded in the taxi, setting it on fire, had been “fabricated” and brought into the vehicle by the passenger.
“An improvised explosive device has-beens Manufactured and our assumption so far Is That It was built by the passeng … https://t.co/OVwUzkqBCf
The skilled driver “hero”
The explosion, which left one dead and one wounded, occurred Sunday morning when the UK commemorating the victims of war, on the occasion of Remembrance Day. It happened just before 11 hours (12 hours in Paris), while the nation gathered in silence and hundreds of soldiers, veterans and members of the public had gathered a few hundred meters from the Liverpool Cathedral for a tribute.
wounded in the explosion, the taxi driver was described as “heroes” by politicians and tabloid that claimed he had helped prevent deaths. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said Monday during a visit to a medical center in London:
“This is an ongoing investigation, so I can not comment on the details or say exactly what kind of incident it is (…) but it seems that the taxi driver in question acted with a presence of incredible spirit and bravery. “
According to The Daily Mail, the driver noticed that his passenger looked “suspicious” and locked him in the cab, before escaping. He was injured in the explosion and the passenger, who has not been formally identified, died, police said.
“The taxi driver, in his heroic efforts, managed to avoid what could have been an absolutely horrible disaster to the hospital,” said the mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, Monday on the BBC, confirming that he had “locked the doors” of the vehicle.
“the threat of terrorism has not disappeared”
For the president of the Conservative Party, Oliver Dowden, “that [we] said that the threat of terrorism has not gone away.” Referring to the actions of the taxi driver reported by the press, Mr Dowden said on Sky News, “the contrast between the cowardice of the terrorist attack and bravery of ordinary Britons across the country, who put the lives of others before them. ” “It is clear that we need to see exactly what happened, but if that is the case, it is another example of true bravery and courage,” he said.
The Anti-terrorism police conducting the investigation with, according to the BBC, the support of the MI5 intelligence service. The police explained being alerted to 11 hours and immediately intervened and urged the population to “remain calm but vigilant.” Images published on the websites of local media showed a large gray smoke escaping from the scene of the incident and a vehicle burnt.
“So far, we understand that the car involved was a taxi stopped at the hospital shortly before the blast,” had said the police Sunday afternoon, adding that the “work is still ongoing to establish what happened. “
“A Grand Cordon” policeman remained in place Monday morning on Rutland Avenue in Liverpool and “a small number of homes were evacuated as a precaution” as part of the ongoing investigation, said the Greater Manchester Police. Boris Johnson had sent his thoughts on Sunday night “to all those affected by the terrible incident in Liverpool.”