Phil Noble

LIVERPOOL (Reuters) -A bomb device that blew up a taxi at Liverpool in northern England was taken by a passenger. The blast is now being classified as a terrorist event, according to police on Monday.

According to police, they believe they know the identity of the victim, but they cannot reveal this.

“Our inquiries suggest that an improvised explosive weapon was manufactured. Our assumption thus far is that the passenger in a taxi built it,” Russ Jackson Assistant Chief Constable, Counter-Terrorism Policing Northwest.

He stated that although the motive for the incident remains a mystery, the facts of the incident have been declared terrorist incidents.

An explosion destroyed the taxi outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital shortly before 11 AM on Sunday. A Remembrance Day service was held nearby at Liverpool Cathedral to honor war dead.

Jackson stated, “We can’t at the moment draw any connection with that but it is an avenue of inquiry which we pursue,”

Jackson announced that another 21-year-old man had been taken into police custody on Monday. Jackson said that significant items were discovered at one address, while other addresses were or will be searched.

The passenger was said to have boarded a taxi near Liverpool, and requested to be driven to the hospital. It is about a 10 minute drive from his home. It was as the taxi approached the drop off point at the hospital that the explosion occurred.

He managed to get out of the car but was severely injured. Since then, he has been released.

Jackson stated that Jackson was unsure why the passenger wanted to visit the hospital and what caused the explosion.

Joanne Anderson from Liverpool described the brave actions of the taxi driver earlier as heroic. According to the BBC, he locked his passenger in the taxi.

She said that the taxi driver had saved what would have been an awful accident at the hospital by his heroic efforts.

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, praised the driver for his “incredible presence and courage”, but he didn’t elaborate on the details. Johnson had planned to lead a meeting on Monday of the government’s emergency committee, to talk about the blast.