Emad al-Swealmeen
 Emad al-Swealmeen  (failed asylum seeker) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1989 |
| Died | 14 November 2021 (Age 31) |
| Perpetrator of | Liverpool Women's Hospital bombing |
| Supposed perpetrator of | 2021 Liverpool bombing, Liverpool Women's Hospital bombing |
Emad al-Swealmeen is the alleged perpetrator of the 2021 Liverpool bombing whose device exploded shortly before 11:00am GMT on Remembrance Sunday in a taxi outside the Liverpool Women's Hospital.[1]
A post-mortem examination found Al Swealmeen died from injuries caused by the explosion and subsequent fire.[2]
Asylum seeker
Emad al-Swealmeen moved to the UK from the Middle East some years ago and had an asylum claim rejected in 2014. Malcolm Hitchcott, who with his wife Elizabeth had taken Al Swealmeen in to live with them, said the suspect had first come to Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral in 2015 and was known to friends in the UK as Enzo Almeni.
Mr Hitchcott told The Sun:
"He was destitute at that time and we took him in.
"The UK asylum people were never convinced he was Syrian and he was refused asylum in 2014.
"He had his case rejected because he has been sectioned due to some mental health incident where he was waving a knife at people from an overpass."[3]
Background
On 17 November 2021, BBC correspondent Dominic Casciani tweeted:
New confirmed information about Liverpool bomber Emad al-Swealmeen: There was a six year gap between him losing his asylum appeal and then appealing again under a new European-style name. What the Home Office did to remove or manage him is unclear - it won't tell us. Thread:[4]
Information from court records obtained by the BBC: 1) Al Swealmeen's application for asylum to the Home Office resulted in a refusal - and he challenged this before a First-Tier Tribunal in 2014. That court reviews challenges against Home Office immigration decisions.[5]
2) He had his hearing before the FT tribunal in April 2015. It rejected his case - that means an immigration judge found that the Home Office's decision to refuse Al Swealmeen asylum was sound. In other words, he should not be in the UK.[6]
3) He challenged that decision - as was his legal right - by seeking to lodge an appeal at the next court up, the Upper Tribunal. It rejected his application in Aug 2015 without even holding a hearing. That happens when a request is without merit.[7]
4) In broad terms, he was then at the end of the road - and that's when the Home Office would be expected to take a decision to remove him. It's not clear what the Home Office did because it won't comment on Al Swealmeen's case.[8]
5) In the same month that his attempted immigration appeal was rejected, he began attending Liverpool Cathedral and taking part in Christian teaching workshops. By 2017 he was living with the Hitchcott's, the Christian couple who kindly offered him humanitarian support.[9]
An event carried out
| Event | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Liverpool Women's Hospital bombing | Liverpool United Kingdom | Mysterious suicide bombing in Liverpool. |
References
- ↑ "Emad al-Swealmeen: Liverpool bomber who died in taxi explosion named"
- ↑ "Liverpool bomb: Homemade device used ball bearings as shrapnel, police say"
- ↑ "Liverpool terror suspect Emad Al Swealmeen struck after 'having UK asylum claims rejected'"
- ↑ "New confirmed information about Liverpool bomber"
- ↑ "Information from court records obtained by the BBC"
- ↑ "Al Swealmeen should not be in the UK"
- ↑ "The Upper Tribunal rejected his application in Aug 2015 without even holding a hearing"
- ↑ "That's when the Home Office would be expected to take a decision to remove him"
- ↑ "He began attending Liverpool Cathedral and taking part in Christian teaching workshops"
