'Possible sightings' of chemical attack suspect reported as police release home raids videos
Police officers searching for suspected chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi have raided at two addresses in east London and three in Newcastle, ITV News' Martha Fairlie reports
The Metropolitan Police said it has received “dozens of calls” about the four day hunt for a suspected alkali attacker, including possible sightings of Abdul Ezedi.
Video of a raid at a property in Newcastle, where Ezedi is from, including footage of empty containers with corrosive warnings, were released last night.
Officers have urged the 35-year-old, who has very “significant injuries to the right side of his face” to hand himself in.
He has been on the run since Wednesday’s after a 31-year-old mother, believed to be known to Ezedi, was attacked alongside her two daughters, with a corrosive alkaline substance in Clapham, south London.
She remains “very poorly” and sedated in hospital, with her injuries thought to be “life-changing”.
The injuries to her daughters, aged three and eight, are “not likely to be life-changing”. But there are no confirmed sightings since 9pm on Wednesday, when he boarded a Victoria Line underground train travelling southbound.
Police searching for Abdul Ezedi have released footage of a raid at an address in Newcastle
The Metropolitan Police is co-ordinating the manhunt, which has included raids at two addresses in east London and three in Newcastle.
“We are today releasing footage of officers entering one address in Newcastle where empty containers with corrosive warnings on the labels were recovered,” the force said.
“Forensic tests are currently ongoing to see if the containers held the substance used in the attack.”
They also say they have received dozens of calls about the manhunt, including possible sightings, as they renewed their appeal for the public’s help catching him.
Commander Jon Savell said: “The police investigation to establish his subsequent movements and ultimately locate him is continuing at pace. I want to thank everyone who has contacted police to share what they know.
“We have received dozens of calls with information, including possible sightings, and every single piece of information has been recorded and forms part of our ongoing investigation.
“I can assure the public that my colleagues and I are fully committed to using every available tool and tactic for as long as it takes to find Abdul Ezedi.
“I am today urging the public to remain vigilant and to contact police immediately if they may have seen Ezedi or have information about him. I would also like to reiterate that if you see Ezedi, you should call 999 immediately. He should not be approached.”
A timeline of Abdul Ezedi's movements
Early Wednesday: The wanted man left Newcastle in the “very, very early hours” of Wednesday and travelled south to the capital.
6.30am: Edezi arrived in the Tooting area by around 6.30am.
4.30pm: A sighting of his vehicle was reported at about 4.30pm in Croydon.
7pm: By about this time he was in Streatham.
7.25pm: The attack took place before he allegedly attempted to drive away from the scene, crashing into a stationary vehicle and fleeing on foot.
7.30pm: Minutes after the attack Ezedi boarded a tube at Clapham South underground station.
8pm: He was at King’s Cross tube station.
8.42pm: Ezedi was filmed on CCTV in Tesco on Caledonian Road, with a “fairly significant facial injury” buying a bottle of water, before leaving and heading right.
9pm: He got on a Victoria line tube at 9pm heading south, the last confirmed sighting.
Questions remain 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.
Ezedi, who is thought to have arrived in the UK from Afghanistan on the back of a lorry in 2016, claimed to have converted to Christianity, which would have put him at risk following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed he was handed a suspended sentence at Newcastle Crown Court on January 9 2018 after pleading guilty to one charge of sexual assault and one of exposure.
He was put on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.
Prime Minster Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said on Friday that the PM does not think “foreign criminals should be able to stay” in the UK.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has said, "we need to get to the bottom of” why Ezedi was allowed in the UK, when speaking on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.
Asked how it was possible the suspect had been granted asylum after being found guilty of a sexual offence, Mrs Keegan said: “My understanding is the Home Secretary has asked for all the details, but this is not really about asylum.
She continued: “Clearly, what we say is that anybody who commits crimes is not able to stay in this country. So, if you have a sentence of more than 12 months, you are not allowed to stay if you have a criminal record, etc.
“We don’t want to have people in this country who have criminal records.”
When asked on the same programme, shadow minister Sir Chris Bryant said, "if everything that we have been told is true, then it seems absolutely extraordinary that the British people should be put at such risk from this person."
It has been reported that the suspect was able to gain asylum after claiming he had converted to Christianity.
Anyone with information about Abdul Ezedi is asked to call 020 7175 2784 or for an immediate sighting dial 999. To remain anonymous, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers.
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