Abdul Ezedi, 35, is wanted by police in connection with the attack (Picture: Met Police)
The suspect who has been on the run since a horrific alkaline attack in Clapham is a convicted sex offender, it has emerged.
A manhunt is ongoing for Abdul Ezedi who was last seen at a Tesco Express in Caledonian Road in north London at 8.48pm last night, around one hour after fleeing the scene.
The 35-year-old is believed to be the man behind an incident that left 12 people injured, including a 31-year-old mum and her two young children.
CCTV images showed Ezedi with a serious injury to his right eye and police have warned people not to approach him – and to call 999 if they see him.
More details about Ezedi have come to light today and records show that he was convicted for sexual assault/exposure at Newcastle Crown Court in 2018.
He is understood to have arrived by lorry in the UK in 2016 and was granted asylum in either 2021 or 2022, reports the BBC.
When sentenced six years ago, he was ordered to carry out unpaid work and was discharged from probation supervision in 2020.
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The last confirmed sighting of Abdul Ezedi was in Tesco on Caledonian Road, N1 at 8.48pm last night (Picture: Met Police)
Police released the picture of the last known sighting of Ezedi, showing him clutching a bottle of water in a Tesco supermarket with a visible ‘significant injury’ to his face, making him ‘distinctive’.
Emergency services were called to the chemical attack incident on Lessar Avenue, opposite Clapham Common in south London, at around 7.25pm on Wednesday.
One of the children injured was seen being dragged out of their car and thrown repeatedly to the ground.
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Four witnesses who ran to help and five police officers also suffered injuries.
The mum was crying ‘I can’t see, I can’t see’ as an eyewitness tried to help her, the BBC reports, as he described the scene as ‘quite horrific’.
This morning the Met confirmed the victims were a 31-year-old ‘vulnerable’ woman who was known to Ezedi along with her two daughters, aged eight and three.
Ezedi is from the Newcastle area but is thought to have travelled to London (Picture: PA)
A stain is visible on the window of the car (Picture: Marcin Nowak/LNP)
A witness who tried to wash the chemical off the woman’s face told Sky News: ‘It was horrific. First a man grabbed a kid – a girl aged two or three from a white car.
‘He threw her onto the floor – twice! It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.
‘I then ran into my house, grabbed a water bottle and threw water on her eyes. Her lips were black. Her skin looked burnt.’
‘The man then threw something at the woman. She was screaming, “my eyes, my eyes”.’
Superintendent Gabriel Cameron said this afternoon that Ezedi crashed into a parked car while trying to escape and then ran off.
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The incident has been described as a ‘traffic collision’ (Picture: LNP)
Supt Cameron said: ‘While none of their conditions are life-threatening, the injuries to the woman and younger girl could be life-changing. It may be some time before hospital staff are able to say how serious that might be.
‘I am sure the public will join me in saying they are in our thoughts and we wish them the fullest possible recovery.
‘Three women – two in their 30s and one in her 50s – who were injured when they bravely came to the aid of the family, have all been discharged from hospital with minor burns injuries. A man in his 50s who also helped declined hospital treatment for minor injuries he suffered.
‘Five officers who were injured as they responded have all been treated and have left hospital.’
A couple who live on the street say they ran outside after hearing a cry for help and a car crashing.
Forensics officers were investigating the car (Picture: Marcin Nowak/LNP)
Tests to identify the substance used are ongoing (Picture: Marcin Nowak/LNP)
The man said: ‘We came outside and saw this guy and he took a girl out of the car and he slammed her to the ground twice.
‘I chased him half way down the road, but I was in slippers so didn’t get very far.
‘As I came back, that’s when I saw the woman who had been attacked, so I ran inside to get some water and just sprayed her down with water.’
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