UK upgrades terror threat level to ‘severe’
The UK has upgraded its terror threat level to ‘severe’ after yesterday’s explosion at a Liverpool hospital.
The upgrade means that experts assume an attack to be ‘highly likely’.
The country’s previous threat level had been ‘substantial’, after being downgraded in February this year.
Home Secretary Priti Patel confirmed the move, after four people were arrested for a terror incident which saw a taxi explode outside the reception of Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Sunday.
The blast killed a passenger inside the taxi, who police believe had brought an improvised explosive device inside the vehicle.
The home secretary said: “The prime minister has this afternoon just chaired a Cobra meeting and I attended that meeting too – and the points to note from that meeting is that, first of all, the incident has been declared as a terrorist incident, the police have now declared that.
“But, secondly, the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre – JTAC – are now increasing the United Kingdom’s threat level from substantial to severe.
“And there is a reason for that, and that reason is because what we saw yesterday is the second incident in a month.”
Patel added that there is a live investigation taking place.
Prime minister Boris Johnson said that the grades “bump around”, and that the upgrade means that the public have to be vigilant.