We got lucky, say investigators who believe bomb was set off by accident

Examination of Liverpool flat suggests plan was to construct a much more powerful explosive device

‘In moving to get ready to get out of the taxi, he might have set it off ... Homemade devices are inherently unstable’

THE terrorist bomb detonated outside a Liverpool hospital may have gone off when it was “jostled” as the car was coming to a stop, with investigators admitting for the first time: “We got lucky.”

A search of Emad al-swealmeen’s home and an examination of his online purchases show he was attempting to build a sophisticated, powerful bomb that would have caused “damage, death and destruction” on a huge scale.

The Daily Telegraph can also reveal that the 32-year-old, who had converted to Christianity, was seen at his local mosque every day during Ramadan in April, at around the same time that he began constructing his bomb.

Sources claim the Iraqi-born asylum seeker attended the mosque “all day every day” during the religious festival and was seen praying with a fellow Muslim just a week before the attack.

The revelation will further fuel suspicion that Swealmeen’s conversion to Christianity four years ago was simply a ploy to help him persuade the Home Office to let him stay in the UK.

Counter-terrorism police and intelligence agencies remain unclear as to Swealmeen’s intended target – either the Liverpool Women’s Hospital where the explosion occurred or the Remembrance Sunday service at Liverpool cathedral less than a mile away.

But they increasingly believe it was an Islamist attack, although they still cannot rule out that the state of the terrorist’s mental health may also have played a part.

A source said: “Methodology wise this attack is entirely jihadist, but we have an open mind as to what precisely was motivating him. If he built a much more destructive device then the detonation looks accidental. It looks lucky.”

While investigators continue building a picture of what happened on Sunday, sources have said it is possible the sensitive detonator went off accidentally killing Swealmeen.

“In moving to get ready to get out of the taxi, he might have set it off,” a source said. “Or else as the vehicle has come to a stop he has dropped it or jostled it and it has gone off. Homemade devices are inherently unstable.”

Police have uncovered at least two types of explosives in the flat, and chemicals purchased online suggest that he had built a sophisticated detonator intended to set off a much larger bomb.

Yesterday, residents living close to his property in Sutcliffe Street in the Kensington area of Liverpool were evacuated when police found “several suspicious packages”.

Evidence uncovered so far suggests Swealmeen’s device was smaller than the bomb constructed by Salman Abedi, the Manchester Arena suicide bomber.

One likelihood is the bomb was being constructed using the HMTD high explosive, similar to that used in the 7/7 attacks in London in 2005. A source said it appeared that Swealmeen had built a primer and a secondary explosive, using two different chemical explosives purchased on the internet.

Intelligence agencies are also scouring for any associates who might also be involved, but currently believe that Swealmeen was acting alone.

Yesterday, police confirmed that the post mortem examination showed that Swealmeen had died as a result of injuries sustained from the explosion.

Meanwhile, more details of his asylum status have emerged, revealing that despite being turned down in 2015, his case was still unresolved.

After first arriving in the UK from Dubai, Swealmeen lodged an application for leave to remain, claiming to be a Syrian refugee. A hearing took place in April 2015, but Home Office officials rejected the application in June 2015. He sought leave to appeal the decision, but that was refused in August 2015.

In March 2017, he was confirmed into the Church of England and changed his name to Enzo Almeni.

In January this year, he lodged a fresh application with the Home Office using his new name and arguing that his Christian faith would lead to his persecution if returned to the Middle East.