Police have started searching the Thames for the body of Clapham attack suspect Abdul Ezedi who they believe entered the river hours after dousing his ex-partner and her two daughters with a corrosive substance.
Detectives believe that the 35-year-old entered the water near Chelsea Bridge in west London after carrying out the horrific attack on January 31.
Marine Policing Unit boats have been pictured on the Thames as officers search for a body.
The Last Time He Was Seen
Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, has not been since he allegedly poured a strong alkali on his ex-partner, and injured her two young children, aged three and eight, in Clapham, south London.
Situation of the Victims
The mother-of-two is still in a critical condition and sedated in hospital, with police revealing that she was ‘too poorly to speak’ due to her ‘significant injuries’.
Both children have been discharged from hospital after witnesses also said the three-year-old girl was ‘slammed to the ground’.
The Met said its main working hypothesis was the attacker had ‘gone into’ the River Thames after being seen leaning over the railings of Chelsea Bridge on the night of the incident before disappearing from view.
He was last seen at 11.27pm on Chelsea Bridge – around four hours after the attack on Lessar Avenue in Clapham. He was never seen leaving the bridge area.
Statement From Official
In a briefing at Scotland Yard, Commander Jon Savell said: ‘We have spent the last 24 hours meticulously following the CCTV, and it’s our main working hypothesis that he’s now gone into the water.
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‘We have looked at all of the available cameras and angles, and with the assistance of Transport for London and CCTV from buses that were travelling over the bridge at the relevant time and there is no sighting of him coming off the bridge.’
Is Ezedi Dead?
Asked whether police were willing to say that Ezedi was dead, Detective Superintendent Rick Sewart said: ‘I’m prepared to say that he’s gone into the water and if he’s gone into the water then that’s the most probable outcome.’
The woman had been in a relationship with Ezedi, with the breakdown of the relationship a possible motive for the attack.
Police said it was possible they may never find Ezedi’s body due to the speed of the current in the Thames.
He told the briefing: ‘At this time of year, the Thames is very fast flowing, very wide and full of lots of snags.
‘It is quite likely that if he has gone in the water, he won’t appear for maybe up to a month and it’s not beyond possibility that he may never actually surface.’
Mr Savell said the force were in contact with a member of Ezedi’s family.
Mr Sewart said the Met had tracked Ezedi’s movements from the Tower Hill area, where he has walked more than four miles ‘with purpose’ to Chelsea Bridge.
