An attempted suicide bombing in Liverpool, England on Sunday was thwarted by a taxi driver who's now being hailed as a hero for his quick actions to stop a terrorist from reaching his intended target.
According to the known timeline as of Monday, the taxi driver — identified in one BBC report as David Perry — picked up a passenger and began driving.
Apparently along the way — reported to be about a ten-minute drive from the start of the trip to the Liverpool Women's Hospital where the explosion happened — Perry noticed something was awry, according to a radio interview with Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson. She explained to The BBC that the "heroic" taxi driver locked the doors so the passenger couldn't get out.
As surfaced video and photos from the women's hospital shows, the car approached an entrance before the explosion rocked the car.
Video from the Liverpool Women’s Hospital bomb shows the moment of the explosion& the incredible courage of the passers by who run towards danger
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) November 15, 2021
Never doubt the compassion & humanity of strangerspic.twitter.com/cPT1wQfF7G
Soon after, the taxi burst into flames. The thwarted bomber died in the blast, but the heroic cabbie survived. After being treated for injuries sustained in the explosion as he escaped, the driver has since been released from the hospital according to NBC News.
Worrying images circulating on social media of a car in flames outside the reception of Liverpool Women’s Hospital. @LivEchonews reporting area shut off and police in attendance. I hope no one is hurt. pic.twitter.com/24orOjm38G
— James Corbett (@james_corbett) November 14, 2021
The taxi driver's quick thinking that ostensibly saved lives — at the women's hospital or wherever the bombers eventual target may have been — drew thanks from his fellow citizens, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
This is Liverpool taxi driver David Perry who locked a Remembrance Sunday terrorist in his cab seconds before the bomber detonated an explosive device right outside a maternity hospital. David’s actions almost certainly saved many lives. He is an absolute hero. ???????? pic.twitter.com/qjHzGMxIUT
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 15, 2021
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the taxi driver involved in the Liverpool explosion acted with "incredible presence of mind and bravery".
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 15, 2021
Read more here: https://t.co/LMSKFGZ1k6 pic.twitter.com/6lbIPAqg1N
According to NBC's report, the bomber's motivation remains to be determined or released, but law enforcement has been in action since the bomb went off to track down leads and determine whether the attempted attack was part of a larger plot:
"Although the motivation for this incident is yet to be understood, given all the circumstances, it has been declared a terrorist incident and counterterrorism policing are continuing with the investigation,” Russ Jackson, head of Counterterrorism Policing in northwest England, said during a news conference.
As a result of the attempted attack, the UK raised its terror alert one level. "Home Secretary Priti Patel said it had been raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely, because the explosion in Liverpool was the second incident in a month," according to a BBC report. In addition, "Four men have been arrested in the city under the Terrorism Act" who are "believed to be 'associates' of the taxi passenger."