BRITAIN’S terror threat level has been raised to severe following the Liverpool car bomb plot – meaning another attack is seen as “highly likely”.
The announcement comes after Boris Johnson chaired an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the Government’s response to the shocking incident.
Home Secretary Priti Patel announced: “The Joint Terror Analysis Centre are now increasing the UK’s threat level from substantial to severe.
“There’s a reason for that and that reason is because what we saw yesterday is the second incident in a month now.
“Of course that means we continue to work with our world-class security intelligence and policing services.
“There’s a live investigation taking place now – they will need the time, the space to do the work that they’re doing in terms of investigating the incident.
“But of course we as a Government and I as Home Secretary continue to work with everyone when it comes to the security of our country and making sure we’re taking all the necessary steps required.”
Mrs Patel wouldn’t be drawn on whether there was specific intelligence behind the raising of the threat level.
Read our Liverpool explosion live blog for the latest updates
But she added: “Our security and intelligence services prevent all sorts of acts day in, day out.
“They understand the landscape, they see context. they see all sorts of things that keep our country safe and secure every single day and that work will continue.”
The Prime Minister met security chiefs, ministers and other officials for a formal briefing on the latest news about the incident at 12.45pm today.
This morning the PM paid tribute to the hero cab driver whose quick thinking in yesterday’s terror attack saved lives.
Brave Dave Perry leapt from the car and locked the doors as the device exploded at Liverpool Women’s Hospital yesterday – killing only the male passenger who carried the bomb.
Last night a car caught on fire after an explosion near Liverpool Women’s Hospital – just a minute before the 11am Remembrance Day events across the country.
The Prime Minister said: “This is an ongoing investigation so I can’t comment on the details or exactly what type of incident it was, what type of crime it may have been.
“But it does look as though the taxi driver in question did behave with incredible presence of mind and bravery.
“But I’ve got to say this is something that is an ongoing investigation. I think it would be premature to say much more than that.”
Shocking footage showed the exact moment the car exploded, before the stunned cabbie was seen running from the blast.
Last night, David was stable in hospital with burns and shrapnel injuries, including damage to his ear.
Cops believe the device was a homemade bomb, “built by the passenger” who died, head of North West terror policing Russ Jackson said.
Billy Darwin was among those paying tribute to the hero cabbie last night, posting online: “DAVID PERRY The Liverpool HERO!!!!”
He added: “David nearly paid the ultimate price to save others, apparently not giving anything a second thought besides making sure he went above and beyond to keep the people of Our City safe!”
The car blew up in Liverpool at 10.59am, killing its “suspicious-looking” passenger as the country prepared to mark the Fallen at 11am.
Pals of the injured taxi driver, who was in a stable condition last night, said he acted courageously to thwart a bombing of the hospital, where 30 babies are born each day.
Three men aged 21, 26 and 29 were later arrested elsewhere in the city under the Terrorism Act.
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.
Spooks were urgently trying to find out the identity of the dead passenger to establish if he had appeared on any intelligence-led lists of terror suspects.
Sources said that the next 24 hours would be critical, with experienced anti-terror detectives from Scotland Yard also being asked to lend their expertise.
Merseyside Police confirmed it had handed over the investigation to colleagues from the North West Counter-Terrorism unit, which regularly targets Islamist and far-right inspired terror suspects.
Armed cops swooped on addresses elsewhere in the city last night.
