Police search river for Abdul Ezedi's body after claims he jumped off bridge

10 February 2024 , 07:56

584     0

Police search river for Abdul Ezedi's body after claims he jumped off bridge

Police are searching the River Thames after the Clapham chemical attacker was reportedly seen on a nearby bridge.

The Metropolitan Police are working on a theory that 35-year-old sex offender Abdul Ezedi jumped into the water on the night of the attack. He also reportedly walked "without purpose" for several hours.

The theory is based on a piece of CCTV footage which shows him leaning over the bridge before disappearing out of sight. He was not seen leaving the bridge area, suggesting that he may have jumped. One source previously told The Sun: "The investigation team believe Ezedi died soon after the last sighting of him on camera on the north side of the river."

At a news briefing on Wednesday, Commander Jon Savell broached the prospect of Ezedi having fallen into the river. He reportedly said: "It is a possibility he has gone into the Thames. Sadly, we recover people from the Thames and it takes a while for it to happen. It is a very fast-flowing body of water. Nobody has seen anyone going into the Thames and no bodies have been recovered."

Abdul Ezedi at London's King Cross underground station in an earlier sighting (Metropolitan Police / SWNS)

He is accused of dousing a mum and her two daughters with an alkaline chemical before sparking a nationwide manhunt when he fled on January 31. The Afghan refugee had been in a relationship with the mum, before she had ended it, and he arranged to meet her, driving down from Newcastle on the morning of the attack. Ezedi then doused her and her children in the alkali chemical, suffering extensive injuries to his face in the process. He crashed his car after they fled, and made off on foot.

Man 'throws corrosive liquid' at mum and kids as heroes injured in carnage

While police have released multiple updates about sightings in London, he has yet to be found. The police manhunt has turned national, with raids in Newcastle in recent days, and police have managed to track his whereabouts in the aftermath of the attack.

Recently, police raided two properties in Newcastle, including Best Bites pizza shop where it’s thought Ezedi worked. Commander Jon Savell previously said: "Today’s (Feb 8) early morning activity involved armed officers targeting addresses linked to Ezedi as our investigation continues to find this dangerous man.

"This is just part of our work, a team of 100 officers in London are continuing to progress a range of enquiries, linking in with other forces and agencies. This includes meticulous work to examine CCTV footage, and we have now traced Ezedi’s movements for another 30 minutes.

Ryan Fahey