Car explosion in UK's Liverpool kills one, counter-terrorism officers arrest three

Police said the explosion had not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage.

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LONDON: Counter-terrorism officers arrested three men after a vehicle exploded outside a hospital in the northern English city of Liverpool on Sunday, killing one person and wounding another, police said.

A male passenger in the car was declared dead at the scene, while the male driver was injured and was in hospital in a stable condition, police said.

Counter-terrorism officers said they were investigating the case with local police and that they were keeping an open mind as to what had happened.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his thoughts were with those people affected and interior minister Priti Patel said she was being kept regularly updated.

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.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 14, 2021

Three men - aged 29, 26, and 21 - were detained in the Kensington area of the city and arrested under the Terrorism Act, police said in a statement.

#UPDATE | A large cordon is in place on Rutland Avenue in #Liverpool and a small number of addresses have been evacuated as a precaution.

This is part of our ongoing enquiries into the car explosion outside the city’s Women’s hospital on Sunday morning. — Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) November 15, 2021

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said police were called to reports of a car explosion just before 1100 GMT outside Liverpool Women`s Hospital, just as a Remembrance Day Service was commemorating war dead at the nearby Liverpool Cathedral.

Police said they understood that the car involved was a taxi that pulled up at the hospital shortly before the explosion occurred.

"Work is still ongoing to establish what has happened," Kennedy told reporters.

LATEST | A message to the people of Merseyside from Chief Constable Serena Kennedy following the events of this morning, Sunday 14th November, at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

Read Here:https://t.co/DapFu1NGC7 pic.twitter.com/3C8WW9dzSw — Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) November 14, 2021

"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," Kenny added.