Police have been searching for 35-year-old Abdul Ezedi since January 31 after a mum, 31, and her daughters, aged eight and three, were attacked with a corrosive substance in Lessar Avenue, Clapham.
Commander Jon Savell previously said it was possible that Ezedi had gone into the River Thames as he was pictured on CCTV walking near the river towards Victoria Embankment hours after the attack.
In an update today (February 9) Savell said: “We have spent the last 24 hours meticulously following the CCTV, and it’s our main working hypothesis that he’s now gone into the water.
“The Thames is very fast flowing this time of year and very wide, it is possible he may never be found.
“Before Chelsea bridge, he walked with purpose. His behaviour at Chelsea bridge visibly changes.
“He walks up and down and can be seen leaning over the railings.”
No CCTV of the suspect was seen after this point, the force confirmed.
Savell continued: “We have looked at all of the available cameras and angles, and with the assistance of Transport for London and CCTV from buses that were travelling over the bridge at the relevant time and there is no sighting of him coming off the bridge.”
Ezedi was travelling around on the Tube network using his bank card and, after that, appears to have been walking a route that broadly hugged the River Thames.
Another body was also recovered from the River Thames in Victoria Parade, Greenwich at 7.20am on February 8.
Although enquiries are ongoing to identify the male, a spokesperson for Metropolitan Police confirmed the body was not Ezedi’s.
Investigators said that the mum agreed to meet him on the day of the attack, and that she and her children were in a car with Ezedi when he struck.
Commander Savell said the breakdown of the relationship could be a motive for the attack.
It was confirmed that Ezedi is not the father of the woman’s children who were also injured during the incident.
A reward of up to £20,000 was previously on offer for information leading to the arrest of Abdul Ezedi.
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