Multiple arrests took place following the attempted attack; The attacker was killed while the driver was wounded; The target of interest was a women’s hospital in Liverpool.
A cab driver in Liverpool, U.K., prevented what had the potential to be a large-scale terrorist attack on Sunday suspected of targeting the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, as well as a nearby military ceremony consisting of over 1,000 people. The cab driver reportedly locked the doors of the vehicle, not allowing the assailant to exit. As a result, the explosion occurred inside the vehicle, killing the attacker and wounding the driver.
The explosion took place on the morning of Remembrance Sunday – the day English families dedicate to remembering those killed in wars.
Head of Counterterrorism, Russ Jackson, stated, “Although the motivation for this incident is yet to be understood, given all the circumstances, it has been declared a terrorist incident and counterterrorism policing are continuing with the investigation.”
Priti Patel, who is the Home Secretary of the U.K., stated, “Our security and intelligence services prevent all sorts of acts, day in, day out. And of course, they understand the landscape, they see context, they see all sorts of things that keep our country safe and secure every single day and that work will continue.”
Following the explosion, at least four other military-age individuals, all male, were arrested for having been involved in the planning of the attack. Furthermore, in response to the thwarted attack, the government raised its terror level to severe, hinting that terror attacks throughout the U.K should be viewed as imminent.
