Clapham attack: Body recovered from Thames identified as suspect Abdul Ezedi

The body recovered from the River Thames on Monday has been formally identified as Abdul Ezedi, who had been wanted in connection with a corrosive substance attack on a woman and two children.

The Metropolitan Police said Ezedi’s cause of death was confirmed as drowning following a post-mortem examination at Poplar Mortuary.

His family have been informed, the force said.

Ezedi's former girlfriend, a mother-of-two who was doused with a corrosive chemical in an attack on her and her children, aged eight and three, in Clapham last month, is now in a stable condition and no longer sedated, the force added.

Met Commander Jon Savell said: “We have worked to formally identify Ezedi as quickly as possible.

“As the public would expect, our inquiries continue into this atrocious attack. The 31-year-old woman is still in hospital and remains in a stable condition and no longer sedated.

“We have still not been able to speak to her but hope to as soon as she is well enough.”

Police believe Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, threw a burning chemical over the woman, some of which also injured one of the children, and slammed the three-year-old’s head on the ground in the attack on January 31.

He then fled the scene and initially used his bank card to travel on the Tube before walking a route that broadly hugged the banks of the River Thames.

During a massive manhunt, investigators pieced together CCTV footage to establish he had jumped in the Thames.

At around 4pm on Monday the crew of a passing boat reported they had seen a body in the water near Tower Bridge at Tower Pier.

The body was recovered by the Metropolitan Police’s Marine Policing Unit, with support from London Fire Brigade, and has been viewed by detectives working on the investigation.

The post-mortem examination was carried out at Poplar Mortuary on Wednesday and his body was formally identified on Thursday, the Met said.

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