Police launch Thames search for Clapham attack suspect – BBC News

Four hours ago Image source, Metropolitan Police Image caption, Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, seen at King’s Cross. Police have been searching for him for over a week. The authorities are planning to locate the body of Clapham attack suspect Abdul Shokoor Ezedi in the River Thames. Investigators believe that the 35-year-old entered the water near Chelsea Bridge in west London on the night of the attack, following hours of purposeful walking. The search in the Thames will involve boats from the Marine Policing Unit and will be conducted during low tide. In CCTV footage, the suspect is observed pacing and leaning over the railings before disappearing from view. Ezedi has not been sighted since the night of the attack on January 31, when a caustic substance was thrown at a mother and her two children. His last sighting was at 23:27 GMT on Chelsea Bridge, about four hours after the Clapham attack. He was never seen leaving the bridge area. Scotland Yard cautioned that the Thames is fast-flowing and filled with snags at this time of year, and that it is possible that his body may not surface for up to a month, or even never. Speaking at Scotland Yard, Cmdr Jon Savell stated that officers had spent the last 24 hours meticulously following CCTV and that their primary working hypothesis was that he had entered the water. Cmdr Savell mentioned that a marine support unit would be carrying out searches of the Thames in the area where he was last seen. He pointed out that due to the river’s swift flow at this time of year, it might take some time for a person to surface, and sadly, they may never be found. He added that police were in contact with a member of Ezedi’s family to relay that information. Detective Superintendent Rick Sewart asserted that death was the most probable outcome if Ezedi had entered the water. The police initially suggested that Ezedi was potentially receiving assistance from others to hide, but later stated that his death was the most probable outcome, with the focus of their inquiries shifting to his associates. Searches had already been ongoing for more than a week, with police conducting raids in the Newcastle area at properties linked to Ezedi. He is wanted on suspicion of attempted murder over the attack that occurred in Lesser Avenue at about 19:25. The woman, who police revealed to have been in a relationship with the suspect, remains sedated in the hospital, with concerns that she may lose sight in one eye. Both children, aged eight and three, have been discharged. The police expressed their continued support for the mother, who remains very unwell and unable to speak to the authorities. The suspect, who is not the father of the children, sustained severe facial injuries in the incident, which police described as potentially fatal. Ezedi is an Afghan refugee who arrived in the UK in a lorry in 2016. He had his asylum claim rejected twice before successfully appealing against the Home Office by asserting that he had converted to Christianity. Ezedi was also convicted of two sexual offenses in 2018, but was permitted to stay because his crimes did not meet the deportation threshold.

Author: OpenAI