Liverpool bomb attack live: Police interview taxi driver

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

The destroyed taxi has been taken away after forensics police completed their search of the area. Here are three photos showing police working and the vehicle’s removal on Wednesday morning.

The Church of England has disputed claims that it has inadvertently helped hundreds of asylum seekers convert to Christianity in order for them to “abuse” the asylum system.

There have been widespread claims in the media, attributed to Home Office sources, that it is ”standard practice” among asylum seekers “to game the asylum system” by converting to Christianity and then claiming they are at risk of religious persecution in their home countries.

But a spokesperson for the Church of England said it was “not aware of any evidence to suggest a widespread correlation between conversion to Christianity, or any other faith, and abuse of the asylum system”.

Priti Patel has been accused of stoking anger against lawyers with “grotesque” comments over the Liverpool Women’s Hospital bombing.

The home secretary told journalists on a flight to Washington that the attack was a reflection of Britain’s “dysfunctional” asylum system and took aim at a “whole professional legal services industry that has based itself on rights of appeal”.

Lizzie Dearden and May Bulman have the full story:

Following reports of Emad Al Swealmeen’s asylum status, a statement posted on Twitter by the Liverpool City Council account said: “Liverpool is a city built on immigration.

“Our doors have been open for centuries to those seeking refuge and a safe haven.

“We will always provide a shoulder to lean on and a helping hand to guide those who need it.”

The message was retweeted by Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson, who captioned it “This…” with a heart emoji.