It was possible that the suicide bomber who attacked a Liverpool hospital did not intend to kill anyone, as it became apparent yesterday.
The police have not yet found any evidence to suggest that Emad Al Swealmeen (32), conspired or was instigated by terror groups.
Officers say the attacker did not use an explosive known as ‘Mother of Satan’ for his bomb.
It was also used by Islamist terrorists for the attacks on the Paris Arena in 2015, Manchester Arena bombing, and failed attack on the Parsons Green Tube in 2017, both of which occurred in 2017.
Detectives are now trying to trace Al Swealmeen’s movements to discover whether he bought his explosives online or on the high street.
It is possible that he may have used a recipe to make the explosive material that was used in the attack on London by 7/7 Bombers.
A businessman who employed Emad Al Swealmeen (above) at his pizza takeaway for several months in 2016 said he was a ‘nice, polite guy’
Al Swealmeen received a room at their home from Malcolm and Elizabeth Hitchcott in 2017. This was for eight month’s duration.
The bomber may have been suffering from mental problems. His inability to get asylum was believed to be what caused him to become distraught.
It is alarming that no one knew of his unusual behavior. According to his local mental health trust, he was previously receiving treatment but is no longer a patient.
A Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: ‘We can confirm Emad Al Swealmeen had previously accessed our services but was not a service user at the time of the incident.’
Friends claimed that Al Swealmeen was depressed and had been sectioned after being rejected asylum in 2014.
They recalled how the bomber was so ‘car mad’ that he nicknamed himself ‘GT’ and had the initials tattooed on his arm along with a chequered flag.
He changed his name to Enzo Almeni – after the Ferrari boss – and loved go-karting so much that that he bought his own helmet and got friends to sign it.
He was a regular at the TeamSport Go-karting track, on Liverpool’s Brunswick docks, often going with his housemates or on his own to race laps.
Friends said they were astounded that the ‘quiet and bashful’ young man, who was also a big fan of country singer Johnny Cash, was behind the Poppy Day bomb.
Bomber In was a Christian couple that adored motor racing, and especially Ferrari.
One, who knew Al Swealmeen through his job at a pizza takeaway, said: ‘He called himself GT because he loved cars, it was a little nickname he gave himself, he even had it tattooed on his arm.
‘He was quiet, but not in a weird way, he was just really shy. When I saw his photo, I almost fell from my chair. I would not have picked him over any other takeaway worker to make something as sick.
‘He was reserved, but not like he was hiding something, more like he was lacking in confidence. He did speak to me about feeling depressed one time, but didn’t really go into it. He lived with several others at the time in a shared apartment and only cared about go-karting.
‘He showed me his helmet that he had bought, he was really excited about it. He took to go-karting on his own a couple of times, was very interested in it and got a tattoo.
‘He also loved Johnny Cash and he told me he wanted to get a Johnny Cash tattoo too.’
Malcolm Hitchcott, an Army Officer and lay pastor who provided Al Swealmeen with a place in his home over eight months, is remembered as accompanying Al on a trip at the track.
Pictures on social media show him in racing overalls at the karting venue, where he took part in ‘Top Gun’ marathon karting races and ‘50-lap’ events. ‘He got me to sign his helmet, rather like Lewis Hamilton signs helmets [for fans],’
Mr Hitchcott added: ‘He never spoke about a particular driver but he loved Ferrari, he was a Ferrari man. He also had a Ferrari email address. He was very interested in motor racing.’
Al Swealmeen ordered a taxi to take him from Rutland Avenue into the Crown Street hospital just before 11:15 on Remembrance Sunday.
The indoor facility boasts 40mph karts and several of Liverpool’s sporting greats such as Jamie Carragher, Sam Quek and Tony Bellew on its celebrity leaderboard.
A source claimed that Al Swealmeen hadn’t been on the track in over a year. Last night the businessman who employed Al Swealmeen at his pizza takeaway for several months in around 2016 said he was a ‘nice, polite guy’.
‘I was shocked when I saw who it was,’ the man, who did not want to be named, said.
‘I still can’t believe it. He was polite and nice. He wasn’t a practising Muslim, he told me he lived with a Christian family, and he definitely wasn’t a fanatic.
‘I’ve employed Muslims before, some of them don’t like touching ham if it isn’t Halal, but he didn’t seem worried about that.
‘He worked part-time for me, he had a visa and was legit. I paid him about £50 a day.
‘Never in a million years would I think him capable of something like that.’
Al Swealmeen, according to the friend, was not religious.
‘He never really talked about religion,’ he added.
‘I didn’t think he practised any faith, although I do remember him telling me one time he had been to church and was trying to get to know people there.
‘I would love to know what happened to him over the past few years. His actions must have been corrupted or manipulated. The man I knew and what he did on Sunday – they are like night and day.’