UK Liverpool hospital blast suspect had been planning attack since April: Police

The suspect of the UK Liverpool hospital blast who was killed in the incident, Emad Al Swealmeen, spent at least six months buying the components for a bomb and appears to have acted alone, said British police on Wednesday, 17 November 2021. The 32-year-old died when the explosion ripped through the cab in which he was a passenger as it reached outside the Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Sunday morning, leaving the driver wounded. 

As the investigation into the incident develops, Russ Jackson, the head of counterterrorism policing for northwest England, as per AP, said that Al Swealmeen had rented a property in the city in April and since then, the 32-year-old had been making “relevant purchases” for a device. However, Jackson said that the investigators so far have not found any other people “of concern”. 

The latest revelation about the 32-year-old orchestrating the Liverpool women’s hospital blast since April came as the detectives are reportedly also putting together the details of Al Swealmeen’s life. Investigators have said that a relative told them he was born in Iraq and applied for asylum in the UK in 2014 when he was rejected. However, it still remains unclear what his legal status was at the time of the bombing which took place on 14 November. 

The law enforcement has confirmed that Al Swealmeen was treated in the past for mental illness. At least four men who were arrested under terrorism charges after a bomb exploded outside women’s hospital in Liverpool on Remembrance Sunday have been released without charge. Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, reportedly said that following the interviews of four men aged 21, 26, 29 and 20, “we are satisfied with the accounts they have provided and they have been released from police custody.”

Lone Wolf Terror Attacks Threaten Holiday Season

Meanwhile, the car explosion outside Liverpool hospital has triggered fear among security officials over lone-wolf terror attacks threatening the upcoming holiday season of Christmas. The Sun reported that UK spy chiefs said that it is 'highly likely' fanatics will attempt atrocities in the wake of a blast outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital. On Monday, the security officials raised the terror risk in the UK from 'substantial' to 'severe' as warnings grew that crowded places and festive markets could be targeted. 

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel reportedly said that the decision was taken because Sunday’s strike was “the second in a month”. It followed the slaying of Tory MP David Amess at his constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex on 15 October. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the car blast at Liverpool Women’s Hospital was “a stark reminder of the need for us all to remain utterly vigilant”.

(IMAGE: AP)

(With agency inputs)