Chemical attack suspect 'likely smuggled abroad by gangs', warns ex-police boss

06 February 2024 , 11:40

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Chemical attack suspect 'likely smuggled abroad by gangs', warns ex-police boss

The Clapham chemical attack suspect has likely been smuggled abroad by a criminal network, believes a former police boss.

Abdul Ezedi has been on the run since the incident in which 12 people were injured by a corrosive alkaline substance near Clapham Common in southwest London on January 31. One victim, aged 31, believed to be known to the alleged culprit, has suffered life-changing injuries, and could lose sight in one eye.

Her two daughters, aged three and eight, were also taken to hospital but have since been released. The remaining casualties – including brave members of the public who stepped in, and police officers – are not thought to have sustained serious injuries. Yesterday, a 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of helping the suspect.

Former Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill believes the same criminal network that would have brought Ezedi, 35, to the UK as an asylum seeker could have helped him escape into Europe. He said the £20,000 reward on offer for information is a "good indication" police suspect he's being protected by underworld figures.

Mr Underhill said that if this is the case, the facial injuries Ezedi appears to have sustained during the attack - seen on CCTV footage released last week - could be treated via illegal medical care. He added that he is "not convinced" the suspect has taken his own life or succumbed to his injuries, as has been suggested by others.

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That being said, the ex-PCC doesn't believe the incident was particularly well-planned, with Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, having crashed his getaway car into a stationary vehicle before fleeing the scene on foot. However, he said in many cases those illegally brought into the country will remain in contact with 'handlers' who he may have turned to in desperation.

CCTV of Ezedi smiling as he shopped for groceries in Newcastle

Ezedi on Allhallows Lane after the attack (Met Police)

But Mr Underhill added that he is "really surprised" that more CCTV hasn't been released, but claims this strengthens the argument that there isn't actually much available because he's been able to go to ground almost immediately. But regardless, he says Ezedi will be caught at some point, even he's gone abroad because his image is being circulated internationally.

Speaking to the Mirror, he said: "The very criminal network that brought him into the country has got him out and that is going to be the problem." He continued: "If you look at the events that happened after the attack, there’s a strong suggestion he hadn’t planned his exit very well. And I suspect he then contacted a criminal organisation to take him in."

Mr Underhill went on to say: "The reward is a good indication that he’s with some form of criminal gang. If he was staying with a friend or a relative, someone would have picked up the phone up for £20,000." Asked if a large reward so soon into an investigation indicates police suspect he is being protected by a network, he said: "It strengthens that argument. Rewards do work but sometimes they take time to work. I think this man will be caught, I’m not convinced he’ll be caught in the UK. There will be an arrest warrant in Europe for him now and I’m sure at some point he will be caught."

Asked how easy it would be for Ezedi to get medical attention for his apparent wounds, Mr Underhill said: "We know that there are loads and loads of illegal practitioners in relation to abortion, organ transplant etcetera and he can access that through a criminal gang.

Ezedi is seen with what appears to be a burn on his face in a Tesco (PA)

Mugshot of the suspect released by police after probe launched (PA)

"I think everyone accepts he must have had some form of treatment. If he sought legitimate medical treatment with an extremely unusual alkaline injury like that with the publicity that’s gone on, he would have been reported. My strong suspicion is that he’s received some form of illegal health care to support that injury and I also suspect he’s left the country."

Referring to the potential for suicide, he said: "Because of the injuries he’s sustained, unless he’s received some illegal healthcare he may well have taken his own life, time will tell. Personally, I’m not convinced about that, but he may well have - but if he has why haven’t we found his body?"

Asked how Ezedi may have been able to get out of the country, with his image being shared far and wide, Mr Underhill said smuggling is often a "two-flow process" and pointed to the case of Mohammed Mokter Hossain. The 54-year-old ringleader was described as an "illegal travel agent", having arranged for hundreds of people to be shipped in and out of the UK. He used a lorry network between the UK and France to make an estimated £1million between December 2018 and May 2021. Last summer he was jailed for 10-and-a-half years.

"If you’re in contact with criminal gangs you can come into the country but also leave the country," Mr Underhill said. Asked if it's common for someone who has arrived by illegal means to stay in touch with the criminal network to the point they would protect them in a situation like this, he said: "To be fair that’s a really complex answer."

Ezedi is thought to have bought a bottle of water from the Tesco store (PA)

He said: "There are five or six reasons why people come into this country illegally. There’s the Channel, obviously, but there are numerous other routes in containers and lorries, so many different reasons...whether they are war refugees or asylum seekers, people who want a better life.

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"It’s really hard to answer that, there are loads of reasons why people come into the country and depending on how they come in depends on whether they keep in contact with the criminal gang that brought them in. For example, people who are trafficked are under an obligation to pay for that journey as labour slaves or sex slaves, so they are still working for that criminal organisation. We don’t know whether that’s the case here so it’s quite complex."

In terms of how much more difficult it will be to track Ezedi down if he's abroad, Mr Underhill said: "It’s going to be an added complication for the investigation and the officers, however, I know from publicity I’ve been sent, this has made European news and world news. If he tried to seek medical assistance in France, for example, I’m sure the phone would ring.

"But if he’s received illegal healthcare from an unqualified, unlicensed practitioner, we know they exist in every country, he may well escape the net." But, he added: "I think this man will be caught. He can only stay underground so long and, of course, as the rewards go up, which they undoubtedly will, someone will pick the phone up."

Martyn Underhill

So far, police have only released a handful of images of the suspect - one of which was in a shop in Newcastle prior to the incident - and Mr Underhill said the UK and London is "one of the most surveyed areas of the world". He said: "I’m really surprised we haven’t seen more footage. That again supports the theory that he is being protected by a criminal gang, arguably the criminal gang that brought him into the country.

"I’m not convinced he’s travelling by public transport. Every bus, train in this country has CCTV and the police will have been tracking that, especially in London. It’s centralised. They use the footage electronically and London police have facial recognition so...the lack of CCTV in one of the most surveyed capitals in the world suggests he has gone underground and isn’t travelling by public transport."

The relationship between Ezedi and the 31-year-old female victim is not entirely clear, however Mr Underhill said such attacks are rare and normally "take place between people who know each other - and are often romantically involved". He continued: "It’s such a personal and spiteful thing to do. It’s very rare to see an acid attack on a stranger. Draw from that what you will. I suspect he knew her in quite a strong capacity to plan and carry out an attack like that, not only on her and the children, which is horrendous."

Referring to the fact it appears the suspect suffered serious injuries of his own in the attack, Mr Underhill agreed it was 'instant comeuppance'. He said: "It’s a bit like a napalm attack. It shows, one, lack of planning and, two, how dangerous these attacks are - literally as indiscriminate as a napalm bomb."

He concluded: "These cases are incredibly rare, people go on the run every day but you don’t often get people on the run with such high profile publicity. It makes it much more difficult for the criminal. It’s not an everyday event, it’s a very rare event and I remain convinced that the public can solve this."

Ryan Merrifield