Hero taxi driver ‘locked bomber in car’ moments before Liverpool hospital explosion

Reports are coming out this morning about a hero taxi driver who may have saved dozens of lives at Liverpool Women’s Hospital explosion yesterday.

The driver reportedly locked a suspicious passenger in his taxi just seconds before the vehicle was blown up.

Dad-of-two David Perry reportedly saved people from the suspected terror attack, which happened just before the two-minute silence on Remembrance Sunday at 11am.

The taxi’s passenger was the only person to die in the explosion, with Mr Perry reportedly now discharged from hospital after suffering eardrum damage, as well as cuts and bruises.

According to reports the male passenger initially requested to be taken to Liverpool’s Service of Remembrance at the Anglican Cathedral.

Sources revealed to MailOnline the suspect wanted to be taken to the cathedral, where veterans, families of the fallen and military personnel had gathered, but the roads were blocked so the man ‘told Mr Perry to take him to the city centre before asking him to pull in outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital’.

A friend said, as per the Metro: “It was just before 11. David noticed the man had some kind of light attached to his clothing and was messing around with it, it didn’t look right at all.

“I don’t know how he’s done it with a split second’s thought but David’s jumped out and locked the car with this guy in the back. As soon as he did, it’s gone off.

“David’s the luckiest man in Britain as well as the most heroic, if this guy got in the hospital, God knows what could have happened.”

The Mayor of Liverpool praised Mr Perry, thanking the cabbie for helping to divert ‘what could have been an absolutely awful disaster’.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ms Anderson said: “The taxi driver, in his heroic efforts, has managed to divert what could have been an absolutely awful disaster at the hospital.

“Our thanks go to him and our emergency services, and authorities have worked through the night to divert anything further and we’ve all been on standby and in constant contact to provide any support that’s needed.”

Following the incident three men aged 29, 26, and 21 have been detained under the Terrorism Act, with armed police raiding several homes on Sunday night.