Everything known so far about Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi

A manhunt for chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi has entered its third day.

The 35-year-old from the Newcastle area is being sought by police in connection with an incident where a mother and two children were doused with an alkaline substance in Clapham, south London on Wednesday night.

Ezedi was last seen at King’s Cross Underground station in central London later that night and police have urged him to hand himself in.

What were his last known movements?

Detectives say Ezedi’s vehicle was seen in Newcastle at 00.15am on Wednesday. By 6.30am the vehicle was seen travelling into Tooting, south London.

A further sighting of his car was confirmed in Croydon at 4.30pm and he was seen driving in Streatham at 7pm.

The attack on a 31-year-old woman, believed to be known to Ezedi, and her daughters, aged three and eight, took place in Lessar Avenue in Clapham at 7.25pm that night.

At 7.33pm the suspect boarded a Northern line train at Clapham South Tube station, and got off at King’s Cross just before 8pm.

He was seen on CCTV leaving a Tesco Express at 21 Caledonian Road, near King’s Cross, and turning right.

He had significant facial injuries and is believed to have bought a bottle of water.

Ezedi re-entered King’s Cross Tube station at 9pm and boarded a southbound Victoria line train. He has not been seen since.

Ezedi was convicted of a sexual offence in 2018 and given a suspended sentence at Newcastle Crown Court.

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed he was sentenced on January 9 of that year after pleading guilty to one charge of sexual assault and one of exposure.

He was put on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

What do we know about Ezedi’s immigration status?

He is believed to have been granted asylum in 2020 on his third attempt and despite his conviction.

It is thought he arrived in the UK on the back of a lorry in 2016 and had claimed to have converted to Christianity to back up his asylum bid.

The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle said in a statement it had “found nothing” to suggest he had become a Catholic but checks were continuing.

It said: “Our thoughts and prayers are first and foremost with the victims of this appalling attack in south London.

“We can confirm that Abdul Shakoor Ezedi visited our diocesan Justice and Peace Refugee Project, a charitable venture which assists a wide range of people who come to us in need.

“We are in the process of checking if this individual was received into the Catholic faith in any of our parishes, and have so far found nothing to support that. We are also investigating whether he was helped in other ways.

“The diocese will assist the police investigations in any way we can.”

The Church of England said it is not aware of any links to its parishes, with a spokesperson adding that it is “the role of the Home Office, and not the church, to vet asylum seekers and judge the merits of their individual cases”.

Was he injured in the Clapham attack?

CCTV from Wednesday night shows Ezedi with what police have described as very “significant injuries to the right side of his face”.

At a press conference on Friday, Metropolitan Police Commander Jon Savell addressed him directly, saying: “Abdul, you clearly have got some very significant injuries.

“We’ve seen the images. You need some medical help, so do the right thing and hand yourself in.”