By John Ikani
Britain’s terrorism threat level has been raised from “substantial” to “severe”, the second-highest level, meaning an attack is highly likely.
The move, confirmed by Home Secretary Priti Patel, follows an explosion outside a hospital in Liverpool on Sunday which police have declared a terror incident.
Detectives have arrested four people over the blast, which killed a passenger inside a taxi.
Police believe it was the passenger (suspected terrorist) who took an improvised explosive device into the vehicle, which exploded as the taxi arrived outside the reception of Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
The suspected terrorist has been named as 32-year-old Emad Al Swealmeen.
There was immediate praise for the taxi driver, who reportedly locked the passenger inside the cab after growing suspicious about his intentions.
The passenger had wanted to go to the annual service at Liverpool’s Anglican cathedral, according to UK media quoting investigators and friends of the cabbie.
But road closures forced the taxi to detour and they ended up at the nearby hospital, where the bomb went off just after the driver had escaped.
Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson said: “The taxi driver, in his heroic efforts, has managed to divert what could have been an absolutely awful disaster at the hospital.”
Sunday’s attack comes a month after veteran British MP David Amess was stabbed to death as he met constituents in southeast England, in an attack that prosecutors said had a “terrorist connection”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Liverpool attack was a “stark reminder of the need for us all to remain utterly vigilant”.
“But what yesterday showed us all is that the British people will never be cowed by terrorism. We will never give in to those who seek to divide us with senseless acts,” he added.
Russ Jackson, in charge of counter-terrorism policing in northwest England, said the motive for the Liverpool attack was unclear.
But he told reporters that the improvised explosive device, which ignited in the cab, turning it into a fireball, was “built by the passenger” who died.
Jackson added that it was being treated as a “terrorist incident”.
