Clapham attack suspect Abdul Ezedi convicted of sex offence in 2018

Media caption, Watch: The manhunt to catch suspect on run after dousing woman and her two daughters with chemical

By Daniel Sandford, Mattea Bubalo & Oliver Slow

BBC News

The suspect in an alkali attack in south London was convicted of a sex offence in 2018 and was later granted asylum.

Police are looking for Abdul Shakoor Ezedi, 35, who was last seen at a Tesco shop in north London on Wednesday evening.

He was convicted of “sexual assault/exposure” in 2018, before being granted asylum in 2021 or 2022.

The Met Police earlier issued an image of him showing facial injuries.

The image of Ezedi was released on Thursday – showing “significant injuries” to his right eye.

It was taken at a Tesco Express shop on Caledonian Road, north London, at 20:48 GMT on Wednesday – about 5.4 miles (8.7 km) away from the alkali attack on a street in Clapham.

Police have warned people to call 999 if they see him.

BBC News understands that Ezedi arrived in the UK by lorry in 2016, having travelled from Afghanistan.

His sentence for the sexual offence, passed down at Newcastle Crown Court, included an unpaid work order.

Once that was complete in 2020, Ezedi was discharged from probation supervision.

His asylum application was twice turned down, but granted on the third occasion when he claimed to have converted to Christianity.

This case is being pointed out by some in the Home Office as an example of the frustration they have with the asylum tribunal system, that people are granted asylum despite having convictions in the UK.

However, those who work with asylum seekers point that you can still be at risk in your home country – and therefore a genuine refugee – even if you have a conviction in the UK.

Image source, Met Police

Image caption, This image, captured about 70 minutes after the attack, shows the suspect at a Tesco Express in north London

A mother and daughter hurt by the corrosive substance could have suffered “life-changing” injuries in Wednesday’s attack.

It took place on Lessar Avenue, near Clapham Common, at about 19:25 on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old and her daughter, three, remain in hospital, along with her older daughter, eight.

The suspect attempted to escape the scene in a car but crashed into a stationary vehicle, then ran.

Police believe he is known to the family, but said they were not yet clear on their exact relationship.

At a news conference, Supt Gabriel Cameron said he had “no idea” what Ezedi’s motivation may have been, but that he was “wholeheartedly confident” he would be caught.

He said Ezedi is believed to be from the Newcastle area, and the car left at the scene, a Hyundai, belonged to him.

Supt Cameron said the suspect was last seen in Caledonian Road.

There was a heightened police presence in that area – close to London’s King’s Cross station – on Thursday afternoon, including unmarked cars with blue sirens and police vans.

Twelve people in total were hurt in the attack. Out of four members of the public who tried to help, three went to hospital with injuries – two women in their 30s and one in her 50s.

Police say they “bravely came to the aid of the family” and have now been discharged from hospital.

Image source, Metropolitan Police

Image caption, Abdul Shakoor Ezedi, 35, was last seen in Caledonian Road, north London, and police have warned the public not to approach him.

The London Ambulance Service said it sent three ambulance crews to the scene after receiving a call about an incident near Clapham Common just before 19:30.

A man in his 50s declined medical treatment for minor injuries. Five officers who were injured as they responded to the attack have left hospital after receiving treatment.

Some of the burns the mother and her daughters suffered in the attack were “quite substantial”, Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley told BBC Radio London.

One witness earlier said the mother cried “I can’t see, I can’t see” as he tried to help.

Image caption, Mr Ezedi was last seen at this Tesco store on Caledonian Road, north London, at 20:48 on Wednesday

Police have urged any members of the public who saw what happened to call 101 quoting reference CAD 7790/31Jan.

Officers have also asked local residents and drivers to check their doorbell and dash cameras for any footage that might have captured a man fleeing the area.