Liverpool explosion: What we know so far - BBC News

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MI5 officers are assisting counter-terrorism police investigating an explosion outside Liverpool Womens' Hospital on Remembrance Sunday.

One man was killed and a taxi was destroyed in the blast - with the driver needing hospital treatment. Three men have been detained under the Terrorism Act.

Amid a fast-moving investigation, here's what we know so far.

What happened?

Merseyside Police were called at 10:59 GMT to reports of a car explosion at Liverpool Women's Hospital.

A taxi carrying one passenger - a man - pulled up to the hospital and exploded shortly afterwards.

The passenger, who was declared dead at the scene, is yet to be formally identified. The taxi driver - named locally as David Perry - was taken to hospital and was said to be in a stable condition.

Map of key locations after Liverpool explosion

Police, firefighters and a bomb disposal unit attended the scene.

Phil Garrigan, chief fire officer of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said the fire was "fully developed" when two appliances arrived shortly after 11:00.

Joanne Anderson, the mayor of Liverpool, confirmed to BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the taxi driver involved prevented an "awful disaster" through heroic actions.

She said it was known he had got out of the car and locked the doors before the explosion happened - but she did not want to get drawn into further speculation.

Ms Anderson added: "Obviously, the taxi driver in his heroic efforts has managed to divert what could have been an absolutely awful disaster at the hospital - our thanks go to him."

Joe Thomas, the crime reporter on the Liverpool Echo newspaper, told Today the fact the incident happened around the national minutes' silence for Remembrance Sunday could be important.

"The timing of the incident just one minute before 11:00 may well hold a significance to people in their attempts to understand what has happened at the moment," he said.

Nick Aldworth, a former counter terror co-ordinator, said investigators would be focused on what happened inside the vehicle.

"They'll be looking at what sort of damage has been caused, trying to get an assessment of what might have caused that blast," he told Today.

"I have to say from what I've seen there is very little blast damage - a lot of fire damage but very little blast damage. So whatever was in that vehicle was either a low yield or didn't work properly or was possibly an incendiary."

Raids

About two hours after the blast, properties on Rutland Avenue near Sefton Park and in the Kensington area were raided by armed officers.

Three arrests took place in Sutcliffe Street, in Kensington, where witnesses reported seeing armed officers approach a terraced house.

Jim Clarke, BBC North West Tonight deputy editor, said the first raid happened at about 13:00 on Rutland Avenue - roughly 0.75 miles from the hospital.

The second around Sutcliffe Street and the adjacent Boaler Street - about a mile from the hospital - took place an hour later, at about 14:00.

There was a heavy police presence, including police negotiators, outside the house on Rutland Avenue overnight.

Several residents were evacuated and a large cordon guarded by officers was put in place.

An armed police officer holds a breaching shotgun

Who has been arrested?

Three men - aged 29, 26 and 21 - were arrested under the Terrorism Act after being detained in the Kensington area of the city.

Officers from Counter Terrorism North West are leading the investigation, supported by Merseyside Police and security service, MI5.

People detained under the Terrorism Act can be held without charge for up to 28 days.

What are the police saying?

The Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Serena Kennedy, offered her reassurance.

She said: "While I understand that today's incident may cause concern in our communities, it should be pointed out that events of this nature are very rare."

She added there would be an increased police presence on the streets of Merseyside and encouraged people to raise any concerns they may have with officers.

Nick Aldworth explained it was common for investigations to be linked to terrorism quickly as it provided investigators with more resources from an earlier stage.

He added it was entirely appropriate to involve the intelligence service MI5, to understand if they held relevant information.

The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner pointed out that the UK's terrorism threat level remained unchanged at substantial.

What has the hospital said?

Liverpool Women's Hospital said anyone with appointments at the hospital would notice an increased security and police presence on site. They asked anyone coming to the hospital to avoid bringing their vehicle for the time being.

The hospital is a major obstetrics, gynaecology and neonatology research centre - the largest for its specialism in Europe. It featured on the popular Channel 4 programme One Born Every Minute.

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