'Suicide bomber' taxi explodes at Liverpool Women's Hospital

[Rainmaker]

Breaking.

Not many details at the moment, despite it happening around 11am today. This has happened down the road from us, with a taxi pulling into the front entrance to the hospital and then exploding. Lots of local talk of a suicide bomber, but no actual details as yet. Unsettling to say the least...

Trying to look outside of the 'obvious' conclusion - since the majority of taxis are diesel, an explosion is out of the ordinary. A hybrid with a faulty battery, perhaps? Doesn't look like it though. One dead and one seriously injured, and no arrests made (possibly because the driver is already dead?)...

It'll be interesting to see how this turns out. It's certainly set the locals on edge.

 

[Rainmaker]

The fact it was 11am give or take suggests it might have been Rememberence Sunday related.

I wouldn't necessarily say it was the taxi driver that was the bomber, my suspicion would be a potential passenger.

The thought crossed my mind, also. I noted the news worded it very specifically to say it happened at 10.59am (rather than 11), perhaps to intentionally direct thoughts away from such a thing? Or maybe I'm looking too closely into it haha. With updates, the story's saying the car was well ablaze by the time fire and rescue got there, but one passenger managed to escape before it was fully ablaze. That suggests a more gradual start/spread, rather than going up like a literal bomb? I only know as much as you do.

 

[Rainmaker]

Apparently the driver is the surviving passenger. He said he heard a hissing/pouring noise and then the whole car went up. This is all heresay, so a bucket of salt required.

 

[Rainmaker]

My money is on dodgy LPG conversion.

Again, another possibility. The Liverpool Echo are reporting armed raids on two local properties since the explosion. They do note, in one small sentence buried in the article, that there's no confirmation the raids are related to the explosion (their word) at the hospitial. We'll find out in the coming days, I suppose. My wife has had treatment while pregnant there several times, so I'm just happy nobody else was hurt. It could have been a heck of a lot worse, whatever the cause.

 

[Rainmaker]

That car, and the surrounding cars, look far too intact for it to have been a bomb blast.

As I said earlier, from what (heresay) I've heard, the driver heard pouring/hissing and then the car went up, taking his fare/passenger with it. We'll find out in due course.

 

[Rainmaker]

Seeing the pictures I would heavily speculate it's more likely to be something like a leaky LPG tank combusting or potentially, as Jokester mentioned, a failed "fizzle" (I think that's unlikely TBH) as there is none of the "compression" of the cars bodyshell that you'd expect from any kind of explosive (high or low) which makes me think some form of flammable gas combustion.

My guess would be the LPG thing though, there's plenty of Russian dashcams of LPG tanks "exploding" for reference.

Well it's definitely going to fail its next taxi MOT.

 

[Rainmaker]

In Kenny, no surprise there!

Truth!

 

[Rainmaker]

Looks like the road outside my missus's school in Kenny has been closed off by police in relation to it. Guess I'll find out all the gossip tomorrow.

Lad, shouldn't you at least wait until she's in sixth form before calling her your girlfriend?

 

[Rainmaker]

Seems like a weird place to try to detonate a bomb though, in the middle of an empty car park? Normal course of action is to drive into the entrance. Could always be a premature "detonation" I suppose.

Again, reiterating that I don't know what's gone on any more than you lot do... But that's not the middle of the car park. It's right adjacent to the main entrance/foyer. The images are deceptive. The whole thing is basically a roundabout with a door at one side of it, so where the taxi's parked is right at the front door.

 

[Rainmaker]

Targeting a hospital in the current climate might not be atypical attack.

The latest from the local mill says that the taxi driver (who has been named, but I won't repost or show his pic here) saw the Muslim passenger messing with an explosive device in the back. The destination was not the hospital, it was in the city centre. He didn't let on, and diverted the cab towards the hospital (knowing he'd get medical attention quickly if it went south). He then jumped out of the car, locking the passenger in, and lost his ear in the process.

Several anti-terror arrests in the last 12 hours off the back of this, including unconfirmed ones in Cheshire Oaks.

Again, all speculation until the official report is released.

 

[Rainmaker]

That's sort of the story I heard as well, but what a hero that taxi driver is (if true)

Potentially he saved a fair few lives that day with his quick thinking under pressure.

Indeed. If that all pans out he'll never pay for a pint or a full English in these parts again.

...If it's true.

 

[Rainmaker]

If any of this is even remotely true, our friends in 5 and at Cheltenham won't have had much sleep last night... I think the silence speaks volumes tbh. We're normally inundated with 'This was not a terror attack, everything is fine' messages. This barely got reported for most of the day it happened and it's all about staying 'vigilant' and 'waiting for the enquiry'.

 

[Rainmaker]

BBC update gives credibility to the original suicide bomber hypothesis:

A Liverpool taxi driver's "heroic efforts" averted what could have been an "awful disaster" on Remembrance Sunday, the city's mayor has said.

His cab pulled up outside Liverpool Women's Hospital and exploded just before 11:00 GMT, as the national two minutes' silence was due to begin.

Joanne Anderson praised the cabbie, named locally as David Perry, for "locking the doors" before the blast.

The taxi passenger died at the scene and Mr Perry was taken to hospital.

Three men have been arrested under the Terrorism Act, while MI5 is assisting regional counter-terrorism police.
Ms Anderson said: "The taxi driver in his heroic efforts has managed to divert what could have been an absolutely awful disaster.

"We knew the taxi driver had stood out, the taxi driver locked the doors.

"Our thanks go to him."

Any votes on hats for @dLockers ?

 

[Rainmaker]

There's a GoFundMe for the driver, but a lot of the Delta drivers are on settle (i.e. renting the car from the company). What is the case for this particular driver, I don't know.

 

[Rainmaker]

As my wife just pointed out, you'd never want to be a taxi driver again after this. The poor bloke's mental health and trust issues will likely affect him for the rest of his life. I can't even imagine. Next up: a holiday.

 

[Rainmaker]

Cue the usual crowd who can't wait but to bring religion up, before the story has even credibly been reported

I'm surprised you can speak with your mouth full, old chap.

 

[Rainmaker]

And let's not forget the Trevor Phillips survey. This reveals deeply concerning numbers.

https://www.channel4.com/press/news...ary-reveals-what-british-muslims-really-think

Some highlights.
(snip)
Q: Please tell me tell me whether you sympathise or condemn people who take part in suicide bombing to fight injustice

That's quite loaded wording. It wouldn't have flown when I did my psych degree. Adding 'to fight injustice' gives rather a lot of room for mental manoeuvre. Is this hypothetical suicide bomber a desperate man who's lost his entire family against ISIS in some third world hellhole, striking back at his oppressors? Or is it someone in a democratised suburb wandering into the local children's hospital and blowing up a dozen innocent kids 'because infidels'? You can see the potential for varied answers based on that little snippet alone.

Was it a black cab, it's hard to see in the CCTV?

No it was a private hire.

 

[Rainmaker]

Condemnation from the local mosques and Muslim associations:

Edit: I do wonder whether this statement (which does have a whiff of PR about it) would have been made had the bomber not 'converted' to Christianity and become apostate.

 

[Rainmaker]

I’m still trying to work out where they found one virgin in Liverpool, let alone 72.

We don't have the largest maternity hospital in Europe for nothing, you know?

Happy birthday for next week.

 

[Rainmaker]

Thanks for the birthday wishes, they’re appreciated.
The enemy has sprung for a couple of nights in a north Norfolk hotel, could be good if there’s a decent boozer within walking distance, the downside being that somehow her brother and his wife have got in on the act.
We’re like chalk and cheese, if he found a pub selling beer for £2.50 a pint he’d walk for miles looking for somewhere selling it at £2.45, I don’t drink beer, only vodka, he labels me as a class traitor.
He lives for betting shops, darts, cricket, snooker, and football, I wouldn’t look out of the window if the World Cup was played in my back garden.
I only eat in decent restaurants when I go out for dinner, he considers that restaurants with tablecloths are for toffs.
Can’t wait to see his face when I order a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck on the night of my birthday!

For what it's worth, Jean-F, you sound much more like my cup o' tea than your brother-in-law. I was born on a council estate and suffer much the same derision as you, simply for educating myself and being of a mind that I'd rather have 1 of something of fine quality than 10 of something cheap. I also wouldn't watch the football if I was paid their wages haha. C'est la vie. I'll raise a glass (XO armagnac for me) for you next week should our paths not cross on the forum in the interim. Many happy returns old chap.

Edit: A word. Stupid forum...