POPPY Day bomber Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen struck after his asylum bids were repeatedly turned down, it emerged last night.
The Jordanian, 32, also had mental health problems and was once arrested with a knife.
He blew himself up in a taxi at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Cabbie David Perry, 43, survived by a “miracle”.
Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen, who had no known connections with any terrorist groups, blew himself to bits with a home-made ball-bearing device.
He had taken a taxi from his bomb lair home to the local Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Read our Liverpool explosion live blog for the latest updates...
Milica Cosic 12 minutes ago
Everything we know so far... Police named the man killed in the taxi bomb as 32-year-old Emad Al-Swealmeen He also went by the name Enzo Almeni The terrorist was killed and taxi driver injured in a car bomb blast at Liverpool Women's Hospital on Sunday Hero cabbie Dave Perry locked the passenger in the taxi to prevent further disaster The horror is being treated as a terrorist incident but the motive is unclear Four people have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences The bomb was homemade and manufactured 'by the passenger in the taxi' Boris Johnson will chair an emergency Cobra meeting today as the terror threat is raised to the second highest level of 'severe'
Milica Cosic 27 minutes ago
Al-Swealmeen had changed his first name
It's been claimed that motor-racing enthusiast Emad Al-Swealmeen had changed his first name to Enzo in honour of Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari — and to sound less Muslim in a bid to help his asylum -application.
Mr Hitchcott, the man who opened up his home for Emad, explained last night: “The UK asylum people were never convinced he was Syrian and he was refused asylum in 2014.
“He had his case rejected because he has been sectioned due to some mental health incident where he was waving a knife at people from an overpass.”
Milica Cosic 42 minutes ago
'Unresolved grievance' pushed Liverpool bomber to the edge
It remained unclear when exactly the bomber entered the UK.
But it was understood he had been in a long-term dispute with the Home Office over his application for UK residential status.
And he had not been granted leave to remain here permanently.
A source said: “One of the issues being looked at is whether this unresolved grievance pushed him over the edge and prompted him to carry out the attack.”
Milica Cosic 57 minutes ago
Al-Swealmeen previously arrested
Mr Hitchcott and his wife opened up their home to Poppy Day bomber Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen.
Mr Hitchcott said Al-Swealmeen had been arrested for possession of a "large knife" after his asylum claim was rejected in 2014, which led to him being sectioned under the Mental Health Act and hospitalised for several months.
Milica Cosic Today, 11:15
'We opened our home to Liverpool terrorist – we can’t believe he’d do this'
A CHRISTIAN couple who opened up their home to Poppy Day bomber Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen have told of their disbelief after he launched his deadly hospital blast.
The bomber spent eight months living with devout Christians Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchcott at their home in Aigburth, Liverpool, after moving to the UK.
Last night the man who took him in said he felt "numbed" to learn that the "lovely man" who lived at his home for almost a year was behind the horror plot.
Mr Hitchocott, a former British Army soldier, told the Daily Mail: "It's almost too impossible to believe.
"There was nothing to suggest he could go on to become radicalised."
He and his wife also described their "shock" that the "very quiet fellow" would try to commit an act of terror, telling ITV News they lived "cheek by jowl" when he stayed with them at their home.
Mrs Hitchcott told the broadcaster: "What a waste of a life. But the one thing I suppose to be thankful for is that he did not kill anyone else."
Milica Cosic Today, 11:00
Next 24 hours critical
Sources said that the next 24 hours would be critical, with -experienced anti-terror detectives from Scotland Yard also being asked to lend their expertise.
Merseyside Police confirmed it had handed over the investigation to colleagues from the North West Counter-Terrorism unit, which -regularly targets Islamist and far-right inspired terror suspects.
Armed cops swooped on addresses elsewhere in the city on Monday night.
Milica Cosic Today, 10:45
Britain's terror threat level has been raised
BRITAIN'S terror threat level has been raised to severe following the Liverpool car bomb plot - meaning another attack is seen as "highly likely".
The announcement comes after Boris Johnson chaired an emergency Cobra meeting yesterday to discuss the Government's response to the shocking incident.
Read more here.
Milica Cosic Today, 10:30
Unclear when Emad Al Swealmeen entered the UK
It remained unclear when exactly the bomber entered the UK but it was understood he had been in a long-term dispute with the Home Office over his application for UK residential status.
And he had not been granted leave to remain here permanently.
A source said: “One of the issues being looked at is whether this unresolved grievance pushed him over the edge and prompted him to carry out the attack.”
Following his arrival in the UK, Al-Swealmeen lived mostly in Liverpool, where he was supported by Christian -volunteers from a network of churches helping asylum seekers.
Milica Cosic Today, 10:15
Liverpool terrorist built bomb packed with ball bearings
POPPY Day bomber Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen struck after his asylum bids were repeatedly turned down, it emerged last night.
The Jordanian, 32, also had mental health problems and was once arrested with a knife.
Emad Jamil Al-Swealmeen, who had no known connections with any terrorist groups, blew himself to bits with a home-made ball-bearing device.
Milica Cosic Today, 10:00
'To remain utterly vigilant'
Boris Johnson said the car blast at Liverpool Women’s Hospital was “a stark reminder of the need for us all to remain utterly vigilant”.
But the job of the security services’ has been made much harder by an increase in lone wolf attackers not on watch lists or known to MI5.
Last month, The Sun revealed Britain’s spy front line was at “breaking point” trying to keep tabs on thousands of newly-radicalised fanatics amid stretched budgets.
Rings of steel have been put around Christmas markets in the past to foil vehicle attacks.
Milica Cosic Today, 09:45
Xmas under threat as lone wolf terror attacks ‘highly likely’
Spy chiefs say it is “highly likely” fanatics will attempt atrocities in the wake of the Poppy Day hospital bomb bid.
Yesterday, they raised the terror risk in the UK from “substantial” to “severe” — amid warnings that crowded places such as festive markets could be targeted.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said the decision was taken because Sunday’s strike was “the second in a month”.
It followed the slaying of Tory MP Sir David Amess at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on October 15.
Read more here.
Milica Cosic Today, 09:30
Timeline of events
Describing the timeline of events, assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson, Counter Terrorism North West, said the bomber was picked up in Rutland Avenue just before 11am.
He then asked to be taken to Liverpool Women's Hospital, which is around ten minutes away.
As the taxi approached the hospital, the explosion tore through the car and engulfed it in a fireball - killing him and injuring cabbie David.
Officers are still trying to establish a motive for the terror blast and said the investigation is "continuing at pace".
Milica Cosic Today, 09:15
Investigation 'continuing at pace'
Officers are still trying to establish a motive for the terror blast and said the investigation is "continuing at pace".
ACC Jackson said they “cannot at this time draw any connection” with Remembrance Sunday events nearby but confirmed it is a line of inquiry.
The officer added: "It is not clear what the motivation for this incident is."
Milica Cosic Today, 09:00
The MI5 watchlist
Police confirmed on Monday that the horror is being treated as a terror incident.
Cops believe they know the identity of the bomber - who died in the blast - but no details have so far been released.
He was not on any MI5 watchlist and is believed to be from the Middle East, The Telegraph reports.
Milica Cosic Today, 08:45
Terror arrests
Three suspects - aged 29, 26 & 21 - were arrested on Sunday under the Terrorism Act.
A fourth man, 20, was held on Monday by officers with all four suspects to be quizzed by counter-terrorism officers on Monday afternoon.
Milica Cosic Today, 08:30
'It's a miracle he's alive'
THE wife of a taxi driver who escaped a bomb blast outside a hospital says it is a "miracle" he's alive.
David's wife has now given an update on his condition as he recovers from his injuries at home.
In a Facebook post, Rachel Perry said: “I would just like to thank each and every one of you who have messaged asking how David is.
"He is doing OK but is extremely sore and just trying to process what happened.”
She said there are "a lot of rumours flying round" but is "without doubt, lucky to be alive".
Rachel also told how it was an "utter miracle" he managed to escape the car before it was engulfed in flames.
Milica Cosic Today, 08:15
Explained: When did the Liverpool blast happen?
The car blew up in Liverpool at 10.59am, killing its “suspicious-looking” passenger as the country prepared to mark the Fallen at 11am on Remembrance Sunday.
Pals of the injured taxi driver, who was in a stable condition last night, said he acted courageously to thwart a bombing of the hospital, where 30 babies are born each day.
Joseph Gamp Today, 08:00
Liverpool bomb: What we know so far Police named the man killed in the taxi bomb as 32-year-old Emad Al Swealmeen He also went by the name Enzo Almeni The terrorist was killed and taxi driver injured in a car bomb blast at Liverpool Women’s Hospital yesterday Hero cabbie Dave Perry locked the passenger in the taxi to prevent further disaster The horror is being treated as a terrorist incident There are claims the suspect was having an ongoing dispute with the Home Office His asylum claims had been rejected a number of times Four people have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences The bomb was homemade and manufactured ‘by the passenger in the taxi’
Joseph Gamp Today, 07:30
Pictured: Shocking moment taxi explodes in flames
The below image shows a fire breaking out of the side of the front passenger seat, with 20ft flames shooting upwards.
The blaze has taken hold of the whole car in less than a minute after it arrived.
A member of hospital staff tried in vain to douse the inferno with a fire extinguisher.
Joseph Gamp Today, 07:00
'Huge death toll averted'
BOMB squad hero Kim Hughes said there could have been carnage if the terrorist had got inside the Liverpool hospital.
The counter-terror expert, who won a George Cross in Afghanistan, said: “In a crowded ward, the potential for casualties is huge. If he had got onto a ward at the optimum moment, with people all around him, it would have been a different story.
“As it was, the bomb went off in a car park with almost nobody around. The car contained some of the blast.”
Mr Hughes, 42, director of Threat Reduction Ltd, said it looked like the bomb may have malfunctioned. He said: “It was a bomb within a car, not a car bomb. But we don’t know whether it was perpetrator-initiated or a malfunction. Was it in a bag in the footwell or in a pack on his back, which might explain how the driver survived.”
As little as four ounces of homemade explosives could have caused the blast, he said. If the car had been packed with explosives — like in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan — it would have caused “utter devastation.
He said: “If you detonated 100kg in the boot, the vehicle would disappear. There would be a crater, the engine would probably end up 100 metres down the road and part of the hospital would have flattened.”
Joseph Gamp Today, 06:30
Explained: What do we know about the arrests?
On the evening of Sunday, November 14, 2021, Merseyside Police confirmed officers had arrested three men - aged 29, 26 & 21 - in the Kensington area of Liverpool under the Terrorism Act.
Counter Terrorism Police North West - which unites the counter terror operations of several forces in north-west England - carried out raids across the city.
Cops evacuated dozens of homes in an operation that remained ongoing into the morning of Monday, November 15.
Joseph Gamp Today, 06:00
Hero cabbie pictured with head in hands moments after Liverpool hospital explosion
THE wife of the hero cabbie who cheated death when a terrorist blew himself up in his taxi thanked her hubby’s “guardian angels” yesterday for his “miracle” survival.
Dad-of-two David Perry, 43, jumped out seconds after the suicide bomber detonated a home-made device packed with ball bearings outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Remembrance Sunday.
Yet “selfless” David, who suffered blast injuries, discharged himself from hospital hours later to free up a bed and was yesterday recovering at home.
Joseph Gamp Today, 05:30
What has the hospital said?
Liverpool Women's Hospital has confirmed visiting was being restricted until further notice, with patients being diverted to other hospitals where possible.
It added: "Patients should wait to be contacted for updates about any planned appointments or other attendance at the hospital."
A statement said ambulances were still arriving and that staff could leave and enter "under the supervision of the police".
Joseph Gamp Today, 05:02
Greater Manchester Police statement on controlled explosion
“Officers investigating the explosion at Liverpool Women’s Hospital yesterday… have carried out a controlled explosion as a precaution at Sefton Park in Liverpool as part of the ongoing investigation,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
“There is believed to be no wider risk to the public and the investigation continues.
Joseph Gamp Today, 04:00
Suspect was taken in by Christian family
The 32-year-old was born to an Iraqi mother - and grew up in Dubai before moving to the UK, it's understood.
Al-Swealmeen spent eight months living with devoted Christians Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchott at their home in the Aigburth district of Liverpool.
Former solider Mr Hitchott said: “He first came to the cathedral in August 2015 and wanted to convert to Christianity.
“He took an Alpha Course, which explains the Christian faith, and completed it in November of that year.
“That enabled him to come to an informed decision and he changed from Islam to Christianity and was confirmed as a Christian just before he came to live with us.
“He was destitute at that time and we took him in.
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