British police said on Sunday night they had arrested three men under terrorism laws after a car exploded outside a hospital in Liverpool, killing one man and injuring another.
Counter-terrorism police said the three men — aged 29, 26 and 21 — were detained in the Kensington area of the northwestern English city under the Terrorism Act.
Police also cordoned off another residential street in the city. They did not disclose details of the operation.
The circumstances surrounding the explosion are unclear. Police were called to reports of a blast involving a taxi at Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Sunday morning.
Photos showed a vehicle in flames near the hospital’s main entrance.
The explosion occurred just before 11 am on Remembrance Sunday, the time people across Britain pause in memory of those killed in wars.
Police said the explosion had not been declared a terrorist attack and they were keeping an open mind about the cause, but counter-terrorism police were leading the investigation.
The head of the fire service for Merseyside, the metropolitan area including Liverpool, said the vehicle was in flames when emergency services arrived on the scene. One man died but another individual was able to flee the vehicle before the blaze took hold.
The hospital said patients would be moved to other hospitals until further notice, adding that ambulances would still be authorised to bring emergency cases.
Police urged the public to “remain calm but vigilant”.
