Abdul Ezedi whereabouts – all the theories on where Clapham attacker could be

06 February 2024 , 09:45

796     0

Police are still hunting Abdul Shokoor Ezedit (Image: Metropolitan Police/AFP via Gett)

Theories surrounding Abdul Ezedi's whereabouts have emerged as the search for the suspected chemical attacker enters its sixth day

Ezedi is suspected of attacking a woman and her two daughters with a corrosive substance over a woman last Wednesday night (January 31), leaving them with life-changing injuries. Several other people were injured who came to their aid and a total of 12 people suffered injuries in the Clapham area of London. Multiple theories have emerged about where he could be hiding and why he has not been captured.

A Met Police detective has suggested he could be being helped to avoid police capture by friends and relatives. Peter Kirkham said on LBC News: "It doesn't appear to be that this is a planned escape. He would appear to have been intending to drive away from the scene, rather than be on tubes and buses and such like, but he had the collision with his vehicle".

Clapham suspect seen grinning in Newcastle shop days before chemical attack

An 'offender profile' would have been created for Ezedi with details of who he could have been in toch with. Mick Gradwell, a former detective chief inspector with Lancashire Police, told the i: "Detectives will speak to any friends and family he has got and firstly see if they will help them. But if they won’t, they will perhaps use covert means to try to find out if they are helping him. If he has no money on him, he’s going to need help from somebody.

He added: "People are fairly consistent in the way they behave, so you would focus on your best bets. You need to look at all the possibilities of what he could do and where he would go and work through them methodically as to the best way to trace him." The Sunday Times reported Ezedi could be being sheltered by crime figures with the The National Crime Agency (NCA) saying organised crime groups may have assisted in helping him avoid capture.

Huge rise in police officers taking sick leave due to mental health issues

Ezedi bought groceries a day before 12 people were injured with a corrosive substance

Authorities have also suggested he may have escaped the country after the attack but it is unlikely he could have done so via legal routes. Mr Gradwell added it would not have been 'unusual' for him to have skipped the country. but his photo being circulated by police and media would make it more difficult to leave the country.

Other senior cops have even suggested he may have died or be hiding his face. Former police chief Mel Thomas, from the TV show Hunted said Ezedi could "even be walking around with a full face veil" The likelihood the suspected attacker is 'living rough' has also been suggested including the possibility he could be sheltering in someone's shed.

The Mirror has previously reported on new footage of Abdul Ezedi smiling as he bought groceries a day before 12 people were injured with a corrosive substance. He was caught on CCTV buying groceries from a Middle Eastern food store near his home on Tuesday lunchtime. He is seen walking through the aisles and smiling with staff before paying with cash. southwest London, on Wednesday 31 January, including a woman, 31, and her two daughters, aged three and eight.

Forensic officers at the scene gathered evidence as police guarded a cordon (Marcin Nowak/LNP)

The mother will likely lose sight in her right eye, while her daughters were also hurt but have since been discharged from hospital. Ezedi was last seen on Southwark Bridge in London on Wednesday night, police have revealed.

Counter-terrorism officers have been drafted in to help scour hundreds of hours of CCTV in the search for the 35-year-old, who was last seen about 9:50pm that night. Detectives are working on the premise that he is either being hidden by someone or has come to harm.Staff at the food store, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Telegraph they were "horrified" that Ezedi had been connected to the attack because he was known as a "good Muslim." They had also told them how he planned to return to Afghanistan "to find a wife."

In the clip, he can be seen wearing a black jacket and notably, he does not have an injury to his eye. Officers arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of assisting an offender on Monday and later released him on bail. However, they said that there is no evidence to suggest Ezedi had planned to go on the run.

Police at the scene in Lessar Avenue near Clapham Common, south London (PA)

The manhunt entered its six day on Tuesday and a a £20,000 reward in place for anyone with information leading to Ezedi's arrest. More than 200 calls have been received from members of the public with potential sightings, but they have since been discounted.." The last confirmed time he used his bank card was last Wednesday, police said. New footage has shown Ezedi shopping for groceries and smiling in Newcastle the day before he went on his brutal rampage in London.

Graeme Murray