'Do the right thing': Police make direct appeal to Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi
The search for a man who fled the scene of a 'corrosive substance' attack stretches from Newcastle to south London, ITV News' Martha Fairlie reports
Metropolitan Police Commander Jon Savell has made a televised appeal to Abdul Ezedi after he was suspected of carrying out a chemical attack in Clapham, London, on Wednesday.
The attack left a 31-year-old mother - believed to be known to Ezedi - and her two daughters - aged eight and three - injured.
Ezedi, 35, who has been described as also having "significant injuries to the right side of his face", was last seen at a supermarket in north London on Thursday night.
The mother, who has not been named, may be left with life-changing injuries, the Met said.
Both of the children's injuries were not as severe as initially thought.
Making his direct appeal to Ezedi, Savell said: “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.”
Savell told reporters on Friday that “significant and important pieces of evidence” were recovered in searches carried out in east London and Newcastle on Thursday night.
He said: “In terms of our manhunt for Ezedi, we’ve got a large team of very experienced detectives leading the manhunt, using all the tactics that you would expect us to use, lots of officers out on the ground.
“We’re working very closely with colleagues from Transport for London, British Transport Police and our colleagues in Northumbria Police as well.
“Last night, five search warrants were executed – two in East London and three up in Newcastle.
ITV News understands Ezedi, who was granted asylum after two failed attempts, was convicted of a sexual offence in 2018. It has sparked renewed concerns within the Tory party over the governments handling of immigration
"We’ve recovered some significant and important pieces of evidence which will help with our investigation.”
It is understood that Ezedi, who is reportedly from Afghanistan, 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.
ITV News understands he was granted asylum after two failed attempts, having reportedly travelled to the UK on a lorry in 2016.
The Met released a CCTV image of Ezedi, taken from a Tesco store along Caledonian Road in north London, where he is believed to have bought a bottle of water.
'It is very concerning to hear about his previous sexual offence and how seriously that was taken... That's something that we are seeing right across society,' Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy told ITV News
He had driven away from the crime scene in Clapham Common and crashed into a stationary vehicle, eventually making off on foot.
Witnesses say they saw a man grab the youngest child from a car and throw her onto the road twice in Lesser Avenue, near Clapham Common. Screams could then be heard from the mother on Wednesday at 7.25pm, they told ITV News.
Shannon Christi told ITV News she heard banging and cries for help, prompting her to run out of her home. What she witnessed made her "see red", she said.
Ms Christi said: "I ran outside and saw this man take a little girl out the car and throw her to the floor twice. I ran over and grabbed the child and bought her into my house.
"He ran down the road and my partner chased him down. I saw another little girl crying so I took her in. Then, I saw the mum screaming I can't see. I just saw red. I had tunnel vision. The little girl was just crying."
Ms Christi, who began to feel a burning sensation in her mouth and on her skin, leading to her being taken to hospital, said the incident was "traumatising".
Shannon Christi, who says she helped the young children during the attack, retells the incident to ITV News' Helen Keenan
The UK- wide manhunt involving forces in London, Northumbria and the British Transport Police is underway.
In an earlier statement, Metropolitan Police Supt Cameron said: "We believe the man and woman are known to each other. Our investigation is in its early stages and we are working to establish why this awful incident has happened.
"Officers from across the Met are working with partner agencies and forces to locate and arrest the man.
"While this appears a targeted attack, he is a dangerous individual and we urgently need to find him. We will release more information about him as soon as we can."
Supt Cameron asked any members of the public with useful information to call 101 quoting reference CAD 7790/31Jan.
He added: "I also urge local people and drivers to check their doorbell and dash cameras for any footage that might have captured a man fleeing the area, and to please contact us immediately."
Three women, two in their 30s and one in her 50s, who rushed to help the victims, were taken to hospital with minor burns injuries, but have now been discharged.
A man in his 50s who also helped declined hospital treatment for minor injuries he suffered.
Five police officers were also injured in what Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described as a "ghastly attack". They have now all left hospital.
Supt Cameron said: "All these members of the public, and my officers, deserve enormous recognition and praise for coming to the aid of this woman and children in what must have been a terrifying scenario. We will provide them with all the support we can.
"I also want to commend nearby hotel staff after victims and officers sought refuge and water there following the incident."
Rishi Sunak said he does not think “foreign criminals should be able to stay” in the UK when asked about news that a sex offender hunted over a chemical attack was granted asylum to stay in the UK despite his conviction.
The prime minister's spokesman told reporters: “First and foremost on the attack, obviously, it was a horrific attack and the PM’s thoughts are with the victims and their families.
“And he’d like to extend his thanks to the emergency services for the very quick response to the scene and the five officers who were injured in the incident.”
The official declined to comment on the suspect’s immigration status during a live police investigation but said that, more broadly, “the PM doesn’t think that foreign criminals should be able to stay in the country, putting the public at risk”.
He pointed to action the government is taking in the Nationality and Borders Act and Illegal Migration Act.
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