Car explodes outside Liverpool hospital, killing one person: three men arrested

One person died and another was injured after a car exploded outside a hospital in Liverpool, England, local police said Sunday. Merseyside police said the blast did not appear to be classified as terrorist, but that counterterrorism officers were still investigating as a matter of caution. Counter-terrorism police have arrested three men.

 

Merseyside Police said they were alerted at around 11am local time on Sunday and responded immediately. Sadly, we can confirm that one person has died and another has been taken to hospital where they are being treated for injuries, which are fortunately not life-threatening, police said in a statement.

 

So far, we understand that the car involved was a cab that stopped at the hospital shortly before the explosion, said police, who say that work is still ongoing to establish what happened. We are keeping an open mind as to the cause of the explosion, but given the way it happened, as a precautionary measure, counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation supported by Merseyside Police, police said. This has not been declared a terrorist incident at this stage, police said.

 

The police urged the population to remain calm but vigilant.

 

British counterterrorism police announced Sunday night that they had arrested three men in connection with the investigation. Three men - aged 29, 26 and 21 - have been arrested in the Kensington area of Liverpool and arrested under the Terrorism Act, police announced on Twitter.