The terror suspect who blew himself up outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital reportedly said two last words to the taxi driver before the explosion.
Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, died when the taxi exploded outside the hospital at 10.59am on November 14.
Taxi driver David Perry miraculously escaped the vehicle and has since been released from hospital. reports Liverpool Echo.
David, 45, was questioned by police the day after the Remembrance Sunday bombing.
On November 16, the father-of-two was also questioned for 90 minutes by counter-terrorism officers investigating the bomb blast about what happened just before the bomb blast.
The interview took place at his terraced house in north Liverpool, where he lives with his wife Rachel.
A source close to the driver told the Mirror the bomber allegedly said just two words – ‘Women’s Hospital’ – after being picked up for the seven-minute drive shortly before 11am on Remembrance Sunday.
The source said: “He didn’t say another word the whole way. The driver didn’t know anything.”
David managed to break free seconds before his car was engulfed in flames with Alemi still inside.
His wife later said her husband had been saved by “guardian angels” and was “lucky to be alive”.
Yesterday MPs suggested an improvised explosive device known as TATP – or ‘Mother of Satan’ – had been used by a terrorist suspect Emad Al Swealmeen during the attack at the Women’s Hospital.
The same type of bomb had previously been used in the Paris attacks in 2015, the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 and the failed Parsons Green Underground bombing in the same year.
Home Secretary Kit Malthouse said he could not comment on the details of Sunday’s explosion as forensic investigations continue at sites across the city.
Terror suspect Emad Al-Swealmeen was sectioned in 2015 after appearing at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court for possession of a knife, according to numerous reports.
However, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs specialist mental health services in the city, confirmed tonight that Al-Swealmeen was not receiving treatment at the time of his death.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “We can confirm that Emad Al-Swealmeen had previously accessed our services but was not a user of the service at the time of the incident.”
Security Minister Damian Hinds said police were not looking for anyone else in connection with the bombing at this stage and no signs of a “terror cell” in Liverpool had emerged.
Al-Swealmeen is believed to have converted to Christianity at Liverpool Cathedral shortly after arriving in the UK via Dubai, according to friends Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchcott.
The couple took him in after meeting him in 2015 and he lived with them for about eight months the following year.
Today it was confirmed that Emad Al Swealmeen is a cake decorating student at a college in the city.
A statement said: “Like many, we are deeply saddened by the events at Liverpool Women’s Hospital over the weekend.
“Emad (Enzo) Al Swealmeen was a mature cake decorating student in college during the 2018/2019 academic year and we are appalled to learn of his involvement in the tragic events that have taken place.
“The wellbeing of our students and staff remains the City of Liverpool College’s number one priority during this time, which has been distressing for the entire city and wider city region.
“In line with public appeals from Merseyside Police and other local leaders, we do not intend to comment further on what is still an active police investigation at this time.”
Four men arrested under terrorism laws in the Kensington area of Liverpool – three aged 21, 26 and 29, who were detained on Sunday, and a 20-year-old man who was detained on Monday – have now been released custody following interviews.
The terror threat level in the UK was raised from “substantial” to “severe” on Monday, meaning an attack is considered “very likely”.
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