The Liverpool bomber began making "relevant purchases" for his attack in April, counter-terror police have said.
Emad al Swealmeen died when an explosive device detonated and set fire to the taxi he was in outside Liverpool Women's Hospital on Remembrance Sunday.
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said "a complex picture" was "emerging over the purchases of the component parts of the device".
"We know that al Swealmeen rented the property from April this year, and we believe relevant purchases have been made at least since that time," he said a statement.
"We have now traced a next of kin for al Swealmeen who has informed us that he was born in Iraq.
"Our enquiries have found that al Swealmeen has had episodes of mental illness, this will form part of the investigation and will take some time to fully understand."
Mr Jackson said a post-mortem examination had confirmed the cause of death as "injuries sustained from the fire and explosion".
He also appealed for people who knew al Swealmeen - especially during this year - to come forward, but said police currently "are not finding any link to others in the Merseyside area of concern".
It comes after the home secretary said the attacker was able to exploit Britain's "dysfunctional" asylum system to remain in the country.
Priti Patel said the system was a "complete merry-go-round" with a "whole industry" devoted to defending the rights of individuals intent on causing harm.
Al Swealmeen, 32, is understood to have arrived in the UK from the Middle East in 2014 and had an application for asylum rejected the following year, but was still in the country.
Ms Patel told reporters: "These people have come to our country and abused British values, abused the values of the fabric of our country and our society.
"And as a result of that, there's a whole industry that thinks it's right to defend these individuals that cause the most appalling crimes against British citizens, devastating their lives, blighting communities - and that is completely wrong."
Al Swealmeen is believed to have converted from Islam to Christianity in Liverpool's Anglican cathedral in 2017.
There have been reports of growing unease within the Home Office at the role of the Church of England in converting asylum seekers.
Others have raised concerns that some in Liverpool may have pretended to convert to Christianity in a bid to enhance their chances of remaining in the UK.
Liverpool Cathedral said it has "robust processes for discerning whether someone might be expressing a genuine commitment to faith".
A spokesman said an asylum seeker must be "closely connected" with the congregation for at least two years before staff would support their application.
Malcolm Hitchcott, who along with his wife took al Swealmeen into their home to live with them, said he had contacted them in 2017 when he was "desperate" for somewhere to stay.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Hitchcott said: "He was very quiet but deeply moved by faith in Jesus. I used to pray every day for half an hour in the dining room with him. I don't think he was pretending about his faith."
The couple described al Swealmeen as artistic and a motor racing fan. He was reported to have changed his name to Enzo after the racing driver Enzo Ferrari.
Police also said on Wednesday that the burnt-out taxi had been removed from outside the hospital but that specialist officers were still conducting searches.
Footage showed cabbie David Perry running from the car moments after Sunday's explosion, with his wife saying it was "an utter miracle" he escaped relatively unscathed.
Police have searched a property in Rutland Avenue in Liverpool that al Swealmeen had rented since April, as well as a property in Sutcliffe Street where it's believed he lived previously.
Four men arrested under terror laws in Liverpool on Sunday, and another man detained on Monday, have been released without charge.
The incident has been declared a terrorist attack and the UK threat level raised to severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely" - though police have stressed there is no specific intelligence another attack is imminent.
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2021-11-17 10:41:42Z
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