Who is Liverpool taxi driver David Perry?

A HERO taxi driver thwarted a Remembrance Sunday tragedy by trapping a suspected terrorist inside his cab along with a bomb device.

The Sun later revealed the cabbie to be David Perry who leapt from the car and locked the doors as the device exploded at Liverpool Women’s Hospital on November 14, 2021.

Who is David Perry?

David Perry has been labelled a hero after he locked a suspicious passenger in his cab, moments before the vehicle blew up outside Liverpool Women's Hospital.

He was taken to hospital with burns and shrapnel injuries, including damage to his ear, but is considered to be in stable condition.

What happened at Liverpool Women's Hospital?

At 10.59am on November 14, 2021, Mr Perry's vehicle blew up outside Liverpool Women's Hospital, killing the “suspicious-looking” passenger as the country prepared to mark the Fallen at 11am.

Pals of the injured taxi driver said he acted courageously to thwart a bombing of the hospital, where 30 babies are born each day.

The blast occurred close to the ­Liverpool Cathedral which was hosting one of the country’s largest Remembrance Sunday services with more than 2,000 people.

It is less than a mile from the hospital.

One source said Mr Perry grew suspicious after the passenger asked him to drive to the cathedral but then changed his mind and asked to stop at the hospital instead.

A source told : "David noticed the man had some kind of light attached to his clothing and was messing around with it, it didn't look right at all."

Who has been arrested?

On the evening of Sunday, November 14, 2021, Merseyside Police confirmed officers had arrested three men - aged 29, 26 & 21 - in the Kensington area of Liverpool under the Terrorism Act.

Counter Terrorism Police North West - which unites the counter terror operations of several forces in north-west England - carried out raids across the city and evacuated dozens of homes in an operation that remained ongoing into the next morning. 

A fourth man, 20, was held on Monday, November 15, 2021, by officers with all four suspects to be quizzed by counter-terrorism officers on Monday afternoon.

What has the police said?

Police confirmed on Monday, November 15, that the blast is being treated as a terror incident.

It's understood police are investigating whether the timing was deliberate as the nation fell silent for Remembrance Day services across the country.

Security expert Will Geddes, of International Corporate Protection, suggested IS could be behind the blast because of:

• TARGET — IS has targeted several hospitals and medical facilities in Afghanistan recently.
• TIMING — around 11am on Remembrance Sunday as the nation honoured its war dead.
• CAUSE — Mr Geddes suspects it was a VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) also associated with the fanatics.

What has the hospital said?

Liverpool Women's Hospital has confirmed visiting was being restricted until further notice, with patients being diverted to other hospitals where possible.

It added: "Patients should wait to be contacted for updates about any planned appointments or other attendance at the hospital."

A statement said ambulances were still arriving and that staff could leave and enter "under the supervision of the police".