Muslim chaplain who lives yards from Liverpool blast says incident ‘will bring city together’

A Muslim chaplain and humanitarian aid worker whose five children were born at Liverpool Women’s Hospital has said the terror incident in the city will “bring people closer together”.

Adam Kelwick, who lives “metres away” from the hospital where a taxi exploded on Sunday morning has posted a heartfelt plea on social media.

The passenger in the taxi, who was carrying a homemade bomb died in the incident and has been identified as 32-year-old Emad Al Swealmeen.

The taxi driver, named locally as David Perry, escaped with injuries. Counter terrorism police have arrested four people.

Community leader Mr Kelwick asked his 9,300 followers on Instagram to share his video declaring that any “campaigns of hatred” would not tear the community apart.

“My name is Adam, I am a Muslim from Liverpool, I live literally metres away from where the attempted attack on the Liverpool Women’s Hospital happened.

“There are a few things I think are really, really important to consider in terms of having a response to this.

“It doesn’t matter who was behind this attack and the reason for the attack, none of it stands, why? Because it’s a women’s hospital. It’s a hospital where children are born.

“We need to make sure as communities we come together, because there are people out there right now who are loving that this has happened because it pushes and furthers their agenda in tearing communities apart.

“Let me just remind you, the extremists out there whatever stance you might take, you are a very, very small minority and the vast majority of us here in Liverpool and also across the country, we are the majority; and we are coming together and we are not going to let your campaigns of hatred tear us apart.

“I want to sit down with the people who try to do this and [those] who support them and look them in the eyes and I want to say, what brought you to my doorstep to do something as twisted and as evil as this?

“And another person I’d like to sit down with is the taxi driver, who by the sounds of it, as I said we haven’t got the full details yet, but it sounds like his initiative, his Scouse wisdom, led him hopefully to be a person who saved many lives on that day. And I’d like to sit down with him and say a huge thank you.

“I want to ask you all to share this video because it’s times like this we have to raise our voices.”

He added that the people of Liverpool are united, both Muslims and non-Muslims.

“If anything, this is going to bring us closer together,” he said.