Three men arrested after car explosion that killed man outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital

A car explosion outside Liverpool Women's Hospital left witnesses visibly distressed, ITV News Reporter Hannah Miller reports

Three men have been arrested in connection to a car explosion that killed a man outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital, counter-terrorism police confirmed.

The explosion at 11am on Sunday involved a taxi outside the hospital and the man, who was declared dead at the scene, was a passenger, police said.

He has not yet been formally identified.

The driver was injured and is in hospital in a stable condition.

The incident has not been declared a terrorist incident but counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation "out of caution", Merseyside Police said.

The men who were arrested - aged 29, 26, and 21 - were detained in the Kensington area of Liverpool.

ITV News has obtained footage showing armed officers arresting a man a few hours after the car explosion:

A statement from Counter Terrorism Police North West said: “Officers in Merseyside have made three arrests this afternoon after a car explosion outside the Women’s Hospital in Liverpool.

“The men – aged 29, 26, and 21 – were detained in the Kensington area of the city and arrested under the Terrorism Act, in connection with the incident which occurred just before 11am today (Sunday November 14).

“The passenger of the car – a man – was declared dead at the scene and is yet to be formally identified.

There is still disruption at Liverpool Women's Hospital and people in the area are shocked by what happened, ITV News Reporter Hannah Miller explains

“The driver – also a man – was injured at the scene and remains in hospital in a stable condition.

“Detectives from Counter Terrorism Police North West continue to keep an open mind about the cause of the explosion and are working closely with colleagues at Merseyside Police as the investigation continues at pace.”

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's chief fire officer Phil Garrigan described the car fire as “fully developed” when two engines arrived at the scene.

A cordon has been placed around the scene and inquiries are ongoing.

Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted: “I am being kept regularly updated on the awful incident at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

“Our police and emergency services are working hard to establish what happened and it is right they are given the time and space to do so.”

Liverpool Women’s Hospital said visiting access had been restricted “until further notice” and patients had been diverted to other hospitals “where possible”.

It said: “We have restricted visiting access to the hospital with immediate effect and until further notice.

“Where possible we have diverted patients to other hospitals until further notice. We are currently allowing ambulances to access the hospital in emergencies.

“We are reviewing our patient activity for the next 24-48 hours and patients should wait to be contacted for updates about any planned appointments or other attendance at the hospital.

“Our staff are being permitted to leave and enter the hospital under the supervision of Merseyside Police.

“We would like to say thank you for the co-operation and support of our patients, visitors and staff who have been impacted by this incident, in particular those members of staff who were at the scene at the time of the incident.

“We will be ensuring that anyone affected by this has the appropriate support in place.”