The manhunt for alkali attack suspect Abdul Ezedi has entered its fifth day after a mum and her kids were victims of a chemical attack in Clapham.
Metropolitan Police officers have been searching for the 35-year-old since Wednesday after a 31-year-old woman suffered potentially life-changing injuries while her daughters, aged eight and three, were also hurt in the attack.
The woman - who was known to Ezedi - remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition.
On Sunday, police said the suspect used a “very strong concentrated corrosive substance” in the attack.
“He could even be walking around with a full face veil."
— LBC (@LBC) February 5, 2024
The Hunted’s Mel Thomas explains to @NickFerrariLBC how Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi could be evading the notice of the police. pic.twitter.com/sJNIFDCpjY
Police investigators believe some people know Ezedi’s whereabouts and have not come forward.
The Met has warned anyone found assisting him will face arrest.
A £20,000 reward is on offer to anyone who gives information leading to his arrest.
The force said the last sighting of Ezedi, who is from Newcastle, was at 9.33pm at Tower Hill Underground station in east London on January 31, shortly after the attack in Clapham.
It comes as questions have been raised over how the suspect, who was granted asylum in the UK after two failed attempts, was able to stay in the country despite being convicted of a sex offence.
Police said Ezedi left Newcastle in the early hours of Wednesday and travelled south to London and was in the Tooting area by around 6.30am.
A witness who came to the rescue of a three-year-old girl who was assaulted in the Clapham attack said she thought "she was going to die in my arms".
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) February 5, 2024
Charlie Rose had the latest on #BBCBreakfast on the nationwide search for Abdul Shokoor Ezedihttps://t.co/slsnfSBrYJ pic.twitter.com/qgbFPQilGU
His vehicle was seen again in Croydon, south London, at around 4.30pm and by around 7pm he was in Streatham.
Ezedi allegedly threw the younger child to the ground during the attack at 7.25pm, before attempting to drive away from the scene, crashing into a stationary vehicle and fleeing on foot.
Minutes later he boarded a Tube train at Clapham South Underground station, and by 8pm he was at King’s Cross Tube station.
Police say three members of the public who came to the aid of the family during Wednesday’s attack, two aged in their 30s and one in her 50s, have all been discharged from hospital with minor burns.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here