Liverpool taxi blast was 'terrorist incident' — UK police

A deadly blast in a taxi outside a hospital in Liverpool  is being treated as a terrorist incident, UK police said on Monday.

The passenger in the taxi was killed in the explosion and the driver was injured.

What police said about the Liverpool blast

Russ Jackson, the head of Counterterrorism Policing in northwest England, told a press conference that the explosion involved an improvised explosive device.

"Although the motivation for this incident is yet to be understood, given all the circumstances, it has been declared a terrorist incident and counter-terrorism policing are continuing with the investigation," Jackson said.

He said "enquiries will now continue to seek to understand how the device was built, the motivation for the incident and to understand if anyone else was involved in it.''

Police had said on Sunday that they arrested three men in their 20s in connection with the blast. Jackson said a fourth suspect was arrested. 

The police had also conducted a controlled explosion after the blast on Monday. The explosion was carried out as a "precaution at Sefton Park in Liverpool." according to Greater Manchester Police.   

How have national authorities responded?

The British government raised its threat level on Monday in response to the blast.  

Home Secretary Priti Patel noted that the blast was the second fatal incident in the space of a month following the deadly stabbing of British lawmaker David Amess. 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the incident "is a stark reminder of the need for us all to remain utterly vigilant." He said the UK "will not be cowed by terrorism" during a news conference.

"We will never give in to those who see to divide us with senseless acts," Johnson said.   

Link to remembrance events?

The vehicle exploded outside the Liverpool Women's Hospital, just a minute before the start of a Remembrance Day service to commemorate war dead at nearby Liverpool Cathedral.

"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 11 a.m.," said Jackson.

"We cannot at this time draw any connection with this but it is a line of inquiry which we are pursuing."

The passenger had asked the taxi driver, who has been treated in a hospital and released, to drive to the hospital, Jackson said. He added that it was unclear why the passenger wanted to go to the hospital. 

British media had earlier reported, citing investigators and friends of the taxi driver, that the passenger had wanted to go to the annual Remembrance Day service in the Anglican cathedral.

fb/rt, jsi (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)