Man on run after horrifying chemical attack 'was in relationship' with victim

03 February 2024 , 11:28

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Wanted fugitive Abdul Ezedi (Image: Metropolitan Police/AFP via Gett)

A fugitive wanted over a chemical attack in South London had been in a relationship with the victim, his family has claimed.

Abdul Ezedi is being hunted by detectives after the victim was attacked with an unidentified corrosive alkaline substance in Clapham on Wednesday evening. The 31-year-old mum was taken to hospital with potentially "life-changing" injuries while her two daughters, aged three and eight, were also hospitalised.

Ezedi, 35, from Newcastle, also tried to hit the woman with his car before colliding with a parked vehicle and fleeing the scene, the Met Police said. He was later seen getting the Underground, before being sighted the following evening in a Tesco in Islington. Detectives say he has a visible injury to his face.

Now a close relative of Ezedi's has spoken out as family urged him to hand himself in. The relative told Sky News they were "worried" for Ezedi's welfare and wanted to know if he was "alive or dead".

They said they needed the "full picture", adding: "I will bring him in by myself if I have to". Ezedi was convicted of a charge of sexual assault and exposure. He was given a suspended sentence in January 2018 at Newcastle crown court after pleading guilty, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

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Ezedi was sighted at King's Cross Tube station on Wednesday evening with a visible injury to his face (PA)

HIs relative said that, growing up, he had been "a quiet, good person" who "cares about everyone". The victim of Wednesday night's attack remained in hospital on Friday reportedly "very poorly" and sedated, with her injuries understood to be "life-changing". Thankfully the injuries to her daughters are not thought to be as serious.

Police have carried out raids on five properties in both London and Newcastle in the past two days. Met Police Commander Jon Savell told reporters outside Scotland Yard on Friday that "significant and important pieces of evidence" were recovered in the searches. Two empty containers labelled with corrosive warnings were found at an address in Newcastle, and forensic tests are checking if they held the substance used during the attack.

Mr Savell 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. He added: "Last night, five search warrants were executed - two in east London and three up in Newcastle. We've recovered some significant and important pieces of evidence which will help with our investigation."

Susie Beever