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A body has been found in the River Thames by police searching for the Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi, almost three weeks after a major manhunt was launched.
The Metropolitan Police said it “strongly believes” the body pulled from the water in central London on Monday is Ezedi’s, although formal visual identification is impossible after a period of time spent dragged by the strong current of the Thames.
The body was recovered more than four miles away from the last sighting of the wanted man after the crew of a passing boat reported they had seen a body in the water at Tower Pier in Tower Hill at around 4pm.
Abdul Ezedi captured on CCTV with a facial injury suffered in the incident
(PA Wire)
It comes after a major manhunt was launched when the 35-year-old, from the Newcastle area, went on the run, after allegedly pouring a strong, corrosive, alkaline substance on a mother and her two young daughters in Clapham, south London on 31 January.
The force said in its update on Tuesday that the 31-year-old woman’s condition has improved. She remains in hospital but is currently in a stable condition and no longer sedated. The children were previously discharged from hospital.
Following days of searching, the Metropolitan Police announced that its main working hypothesis was that Ezedi had “gone into” the river after being seen on CCTV leaning over the railings of Chelsea Bridge in west London on the night of the attack in what was the last sighting of the suspect.
The manhunt subsequently focused on an area of the Thames between Vauxhall and Chelsea bridges, with crowds seen watching a circling police boat flashing lights and pausing beside a small ship before moving off again.
After 20 days of intensive searching, a body was recovered by the Met’s Marine Policing Unit and has been viewed by detectives working on the investigation.
The force said the distinctive clothing that Ezedi was wearing at the time of the attack as well as the property found on the body led to its strong belief the recovered body is him.
Commander Jon Savell said: “Based on the distinctive clothing he was wearing at the time of the attack and property found on his body, we strongly believe we have recovered the body of Ezedi.
“We have been in contact with his family to pass on the news.
“As you may expect after a considerable period of time in the strong current of the Thames, formal identification is not possible visually, nor from fingerprints. We will work with the coroner on other ways to complete formal identification, such as DNA testing and dental records. That may take some time.”
Ezedi is a convicted sex offender who was granted asylum in the UK on his third attempt after converting to Christianity.
Members of the Metropolitan Police Marine Policing Unit searching for Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi near Chelsea Bridge on Saturday
(PA)
As passersby tried to intervene, a total of 12 people were injured in the attack on Lessar Avenue at around 7.25pm, during which Ezedi was alleged to have thrown one of the children to the ground. He crashed into a stationary vehicle while attempting to drive away from the scene, before fleeing on foot.
Police previously said the last confirmed sighting was a few hours after the attack, just before 11.30pm, as he crossed over Chelsea Bridge and entered Battersea Park in central London, then crossed back over the same bridge minutes later.
CCTV footage of Abdul Ezedi (left wearing a black jacket), the suspect in the Clapham alkaline substance attack, near Chelsea Bridge
(PA)
The woman remains in hospital but in a stable condition, having endured significant facial injuries.She is Ezedi’s ex-partner, with the breakdown of the relationship considered a possible motive for the attack. Her two daughters, aged eight and three, who are not Ezedi’s children, have been discharged from hospital.
Abdul Ezedi is a convicted sex offender who was granted asylum in the UK on his third attempt after converting to Christianity
(PA)
Ezedi suffered significant facial injuries in the incident, which police previously said could have proved fatal if left untreated.
In their search for him, officers raided two addresses linked to Ezedi in Newcastle in the early hours of Thursday. The force had also offered a £20,000 reward for anyone with information about Ezedi’s whereabouts. They previously said they believed that Ezedi had come to harm or was being hidden by someone.
More follows on this breaking news story…
