Liverpool bomb attack: Army explosives team at home linked to suspect, as taxi driver interviewed

Police in Liverpool have reportedly expanded the cordoned-off area surrounding a property in Sutcliffe Street, Kensington, that they have been searching since Sunday.

Police have said the extension of the cordon is “routine” and will allow officers to “make an assessment of materials found in a property on Boaler Street”, which runs along the top of Sutcliffe Street – home to a property being searched.

In a statement provided to the Liverpool Echo, police said the enlarged cordon zone was “related to the terror incident”.

Such measures are commonly taken if officers suspect the presence of explosives or dangerous material, reports our security correspondent, Lizzie Dearden.

A similar cordon was previously erected around a flat in Rutland Avenue, which Emad al-Swealmeen had rented out since April.

Police previously said he was thought to have manufactured his bomb at that location, which was near where a taxi picked him up before the blast.

Investigators have been searching the Sutcliffe Street address since Sunday, and today’s development suggests the discovery of new items.

A Royal Logistics Corp bomb disposal vehicle has arrived at Boaler Street in Liverpool along with a fire engine.

The police cordon was extended slightly and residents living within the cordon were told they were not able to return home.

The taxi driver who reportedly averted disaster by locking the bomber in his vehicle is said to have spoken to counter terrorism officers for 90 minutes at his home in the north of the city.

The Daily Mirror reported that the man was visited by two officers who asked further questions about what happened in the moments before the device detonated.

Police are still working to confirm a possible motive for the incident.

Patrols by armed police will be increased and security plans for major events reviewed after the terror threat level was raised following the Liverpool attack.

Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, said the public will see an increased police presence in key locations and officers will boost their work online.

Speaking in Leicester Square in London’s West End on Wednesday, Mr Jukes told the PA news agency: “All across the country you will have seen plans for major events reviewed, you will see an increased armed policing presence in some key locations.

“In places like London where we have dedicated counter-terror patrols they will be very focused.

“You will see some more visible policing, but of course also we will be very active in other places. Online, in our communities talking to people about their concerns.”

The terror threat was raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is “highly likely” rather than “likely”, after the blast outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Remembrance Sunday.

Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, the head of UK counter-terrorism policing, said attacks that take months of planning provide opportunities for the public to spot suspicious behaviour.

“In this case it’s too early to say what the behaviour was and how that might have been spotted by others, or indeed what others saw,” he said.

“But what we do know from other cases is that often attacks are planned over a series of months and there are opportunities for people to see changes in behaviour, to see unusual things happening.

“Unusual deliveries to an address or unusual purchases. Things which seem out of place.

“Without commenting on the individual case, there are so many opportunities for members of the public - neighbours, friends and family - to play their part in keeping our communities safe.

“There are signals in the way people bring together improvised explosives that are important for the public to recognise. Making strange purchases.

“If you’re a retailer, for example, if someone’s buying something that just doesn’t feel right for them, then it’s really important that you make that call to us on the anti-terrorist hotline.”

The senior officer, who has worked in counter-terrorism for two decades, said that even with lone wolf terrorists there are still chances for someone to unmask them.

He said: “The lone actor is still a real concern for us. The individual who spends time online. But the reality is they’re never really completely alone - inspired by something they see online, instructed by something they’ve seen online, and also often in contact with friends and family.

“So it’s so important that friends, family, neighbours spot the changes in behaviour. Very often when we look back on these events there may have been a signal that’s been an opportunity.”

The police cordon on Boaler Street has been extended after bomb disposal arrived at the scene.

Media and members of the public who had gathered at the cordon were moved back by officers.

The cordon extended past New Park Primary School and parents were told to collect children from a different entrance.