Two bodies have been recovered from the River Thames in London amidst the search for Abdul Ezedi, the 35-year-old who attacked a woman and her two daughters with acid on January 31st in Clapham. The Metropolitan Police are on the hunt for Ezedi, offering a £20,000 reward for anyone with information on his whereabouts, but the police say it is most likely he threw himself into the Thames after the attack.
According to CCTV footage, the suspect was last seen at around 23:30 on the Chelsea Bridge, leaning over the rails, shortly after he fled the crime scene. It is undetermined whether Ezedi took his own life or not since there is currently no footage showcasing his actions following him being on the bridge.
Both of the bodies that have been recovered from the Thames are unidentified but are not Ezedi. One was found near HMS at 10:13 a.m. on Saturday 10th, and the other near Limehouse about twenty minutes later. Both bodies are male, with the police treating the body retrieval as “unexpected pending further inquiries”. The search for Ezendi’s body continues, but the police have said it will be hard to locate due to the strong currents in the river.
Abdul Ezedi used an alkaline substance to harm a mother, 31, and her two daughters, 8 and 3, on Lessar Avenue in Clapham. The mother is believed to have had a relationship with the attacker, and the breakdown of the relationship is being treated as Ezedi’s motive. The attack happened just before half-past seven, Ezedi was chased off by a resident but ultimately escaped.
Witnesses of the attack said that the mother was shouting “I can’t see” whilst searching for help. One person who lived on the street picked up one of the daughters and tended to her injuries, whilst her partner washed off the mother with water. The two girls have been discharged from the hospital, but their mother is still currently there, with what has been described as “life-changing” injuries. The suspect is not the father of the two young girls he injured.
Security footage showed the suspect taking a tube from Clapham to King’s Cross St Pancras within an hour of fleeing. He was then seen at a Tesco Express on Caledonian Road at 20:42, with seemingly severe injuries, before returning to King’s Cross and heading to Tower Hill via the London Underground. At 11 p.m., he was seen crossing Vauxhall Bridge before heading to Chelsea Bridge where he was last seen on camera.
Ezedi is believed to have come from Newcastle and is said to have entered the United Kingdom from Afghanistan on a lorry in 2016. In 2018, he was convicted of sexual offence charges, he pled guilty to one count of indecent exposure and one count of sexual assault. He served a suspended sentence at Newcastle Crown Court and was placed on the sex offender’s register for ten years.
Little else is known about the circumstances that led to the attack, but twelve people are claimed to be injured from the acid Ezedi used, through helping the mother and her two daughters. A 22-year-old was arrested on February 5, for assisting the offender, but was then released on bail. Those who live on or near Lessar Avenue are reportedly fearful following the attack.
Edited by Chloe Mansola
Image ‘Marine Support Unit of the Metropolitan Police’ by sarflondondunc licensed by CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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