Explosion that killed 2 in U.K. is not being investigated as suspected terror incident, police say

By Emily Mae Czachor News Editor Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and issues involving social justice. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek. Read Full Bio May 3, 2026 / 8:53 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google After an explosion killed two people in southwestern England early Sunday, British police said the incident would not be investigated as suspected terrorism, seeking to dispel concerns tied to a recent update to their country's national terrorism threat level."Given the recent change to the U.K. threat level, we would like to reassure the public from the outset we are not treating this as a suspected terrorist incident," police said in a statement. Government officials had adjusted the threat level to "severe," up from "substantial," last week.The explosion happened at around 6:30 a.m. local time at a residential property in the city of Bristol, according to police. Two adults died as a result, and the cause is being treated as suspicious, they said. A "major incident" was declared, meaning multiple emergency services agencies were involved in the response.Law enforcement is