One of the four faces of the Great Clock of the Elizabeth Tower is seen at the Houses of Parliament in central London. Britain's much-loved Big Ben will fall silent for four years staring next week as conservation work is carried out on the famous 19th century bell. Photo: AFP

Britain raised its terrorism threat level Monday, hours after an improvised explosion outside a hospital in Liverpool, as police named the suspect believed to have made the homemade device before dying in the blast.

Interior minister Priti Patel said intelligence officials had increased the threat assessment to "severe" - the second-highest level, meaning an attack is highly likely - following the second terror incident in a month. 

In October, veteran British MP David Amess was stabbed to death as he met constituents in southeast England, in an attack that prosecutors have said had a "terrorist connection."

The blast outside the Liverpool Women's Hospital shortly before 1100 GMT on Remembrance Sunday destroyed a taxi and killed the passenger suspected of making the crude device, but only injured the driver. 

Police in northwest England said within hours that the blast was being treated as a "terrorist incident" and on Monday evening named the deceased suspect. 

"Our enquiries are very much ongoing but at this stage we strongly believe that the deceased is 32-year-old Emad Al Swealmeen," senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Meeks said in a statement.

AFP