Liverpool explosion: Three arrested under Terrorism Act over incident outside women's hospital

One man died and another was injured in a car explosion outside the Women’s Hospital in Liverpool earlier today.

The passenger of the car was declared dead at the scene and is yet to be formally identified.

The driver was injured and remains in hospital in a stable condition.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “My thoughts are with all those affected by the awful incident in Liverpool today.

“I want to thank the emergency services for their quick response and professionalism, and the police for their ongoing work on the investigation.”

A statement from Counter Terrorism Police North West said: “Officers in Merseyside have made three arrests this afternoon after a car explosion outside the Women’s Hospital in Liverpool.

“The men – aged 29, 26, and 21 – were detained in the Kensington area of the city and arrested under the Terrorism Act, in connection with the incident which occurred just before 11am today.

“The passenger of the car – a man – was declared dead at the scene and is yet to be formally identified.

“The driver – also a man – was injured at the scene and remains in hospital in a stable condition.

“Detectives from Counter Terrorism Police North West continue to keep an open mind about the cause of the explosion and are working closely with colleagues at Merseyside Police as the investigation continues at pace.”

Phil Garrigan, chief fire officer of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said the car fire at Liverpool Women’s Hospital was “fully developed” when two appliances arrived shortly after 11am.

He told reporters at the scene: “The operational crews extinguished the fire rapidly but as has been reiterated by the police chief constable, there was one fatality.

“Another individual had left the vehicle prior to the fire developing to the extent that it did.

“Our thoughts are with them and the families of those involved.”

The Home Secretary said she is “being kept regularly updated” on the car explosion in Liverpool.

Priti Patel tweeted: “I am being kept regularly updated on the awful incident at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

“Our police and emergency services are working hard to establish what happened and it is right they are given the time and space to do so.”

In a statement, Liverpool Women’s Hospital said visiting access had been restricted “until further notice” and patients had been diverted to other hospitals “where possible”.

The statement said: “We have restricted visiting access to the hospital with immediate effect and until further notice.

“Where possible we have diverted patients to other hospitals until further notice. We are currently allowing ambulances to access the hospital in emergencies.

“We are reviewing our patient activity for the next 24-48 hours and patients should wait to be contacted for updates about any planned appointments or other attendance at the hospital.

“Our staff are being permitted to leave and enter the hospital under the supervision of Merseyside Police.

“We would like to say thank you for the co-operation and support of our patients, visitors and staff who have been impacted by this incident, in particular those members of staff who were at the scene at the time of the incident.

“We will be ensuring that anyone affected by this has the appropriate support in place.”

Merseyside Police said a car explosion at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital which left one person dead has not been declared a terrorist incident but counter terrorism officers are leading the investigation “out of caution”.

A statement said: “Unfortunately, we can confirm that one person has died and another has been taken to hospital where he is being treated for his injuries, which thankfully are not life threatening.

“So far we understand that the car involved was a taxi which pulled up at the hospital shortly before the explosion occurred.

“Work is still going on to establish what has happened, and could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything.

“We are keeping an open mind as to what caused the explosion but given how it has happened, out of caution, Counter Terrorism Police are leading the investigation supported by Merseyside Police.”