Liverpool bomb was made using homemade explosive with ball bearings

Attacker used aliases to buy parts for device, which may have detonated prematurely, police say

The suspected Liverpool bomber packed his homemade explosive device with ball bearings to cause maximum deaths and injuries, police have said.

Emad al-Swealmeen, 32, died on Sunday when a taxi he had hired drove to Liverpool Women's hospital and exploded outside the entrance.

Swealmeen bought items for the homemade bomb in person from stores around Liverpool over a period of months.

He also had multiple phones and devices and used those to purchase items for the explosive device online.

Part of the device contained the homemade explosive HMTD, used in some previous devices such as that used in the 7 July 2005 bombs to attack the London transport system. It is believed other homemade explosives were also in the device.

Swealmeen, who had claimed asylum after arriving in the UK, had shown signs he was following his birth religion of Islam again, after going through ceremonies to convert to Christianity in 2015 and 2017.

He used his birth name as well as the name he took on converting to Christianity, Enzo Almeni, and other aliases to make the purchases needed to construct the improvised explosive device.