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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Jonathan Humphries & Ellen Kirwin & Hannah Mackenzie Wood

Liverpool car bomb caught on CCTV as hero taxi driver escapes blast outside hospital

CCTV captured the moment a hero taxi driver escaped a car bomb after it blew up outside Liverpool Women's Hospital.

The vehicle is shown driving up to the entrance at roughly 10:59am on Sunday, November 14 before it suddenly explodes.

Just seconds later the taxi driver, named as David Perry, is spotted fleeing from the car before it is engulfed by flames, according to the Liverpool Echo.

One man died in the incident and another person, believed to be Mr Perry, suffered serious by not life-threatening injuries, Merseyside Police stated.

Police have also since confirmed the blast is officially being treated as terrorism at a press conference today (November 15), however the motivation for the attack is "yet to be understood".

Car explodes after pulling into Liverpool Women's Hospital. (Liverpool ECHO)

Three men, aged 29, 26 and 21, were arrested under the Terrorism Act in the Kensington area on Sunday evening in connection with the probe into the explosion.

Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson spoke to BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning.

She said: "Our emergency services were on the scene within minutes and have done a fantastic job of dealing with this incident and working with all the authorities throughout the night.

"Our job is to be calm and support our emergency services to do their job.

"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 and our emergency services, and authorities have worked through the night to divert anything further and we've all been on standby and in constant contact to provide any support that's needed."

When asked about what Ms Anderson had been told by the authorities, she said: "Well, we knew that the taxi driver had stood out and locked the doors, we knew that early on."

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: "Following the events of this morning, Sunday 14th November, at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, I want to offer my reassurance.

"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.

"Officers from Counter Terrorism North West are leading the investigation supported by Merseyside Police and they will be liaising with our partners at Mersey Fire and Rescue and the Liverpool Women’s Hospital to establish what has taken place.

"Three males have today been arrested in the Kensington area under the Terrorism Act and remain in custody and enquiries remain ongoing.

"Merseyside Police will continue to liaise with community groups, community leaders, partner agencies and individuals in the coming days and weeks to make sure any concerns are addressed and ensuring that we provide the best possible service to local people.

Car on fire outside the Liverpool Women's Hospital. (Liverpool ECHO)

"There will also be an increased and visible police presence on the streets of Merseyside and I would encourage people to engage with my officers and raise any concerns they may have.

"It is also important that, at this very early stage, people do not speculate about what has happened. We will endeavour to update our communities as soon as we are able.

"I would continue to advise people to be vigilant and if they have any concerns to contact police on 101 or 999 in an emergency."

Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan said: "Staff from Mersey Fire and Rescue Service have been working throughout the day and were at the scene within a matter of minutes.

"We will be continuing our partnership with Merseyside Police and Liverpool city council by providing visible reassurance to communities affected and will be knocking on doors to speak to people in the area and check their welfare."

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