At the annual Remembrance Sunday memorial, Liverpool fell under an alleged terrorist attack, which was fortunately thwarted by taxi driver David Perry. He helped prevent the 'suicide bomber' from wreaking more extensive damage and is deemed a hero by Liverpool locals.
As per reports, the perpetrator was allegedly a passenger in Perry's taxi/cab, which had stopped outside Liverpool Women's hospital. After Perry reportedly spotted the bomb with his passenger, he escaped his vehicle, locking the bomber in the car. This likely isolated the blast area to the proximity of the vehicle itself.
Perry had reportedly stopped the car outside the hospital's maternity ward, around a mile from the perpetrator's likely target, Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral. The target location was hosting the Remembrance Day service, which was attended by civilians, military personnel, and veterans.
What happened to David Perry?
David Perry was a driver with Delta Taxis in Liverpool. He was reportedly left injured along with another person after the bomb exploded, which killed the suicide bomber. His fellow cab driver Kev Cuthbertson posted on the Merseyside Private Hire Drivers Group. He wrote:
"It's my mate who got blown up. He's in a bad, bad way."
The post also revealed that David Perry had a perforated eardrum from the explosion, which required surgery. He also had shrapnel wounds and other burn-related injuries. As per The Sun, Perry was in stable condition as of November 14's night. The Spectator (UK) reported that the police have confirmed that Perry's injuries were not life-threatening.
Following his heroic efforts, several fundraisers were organized on platforms like GoFundMe to help Perry's family with medical expenses or gather funds to buy him a new taxi. One of the fundraisers on GoFundMe reportedly raised around £1,950 within a few hours of going live.
Local Twitteratis react to David Perry's heroic efforts to prevent the alleged terrorist attack
Several people made connections about David Perry's heroic feat on a day that was meant to commemorate the 'heroes' of the past who served during World War 1. While others demanded a knighthood for him, many were also concerned for his health:
After Perry thwarted the intended attack, Counter Terrorism Police North West had arrested three men aged 21, 26, and 29 from another part of the city in possible connection with the attack. However, authorities have not yet confirmed their involvement in the explosion.