Clapham chemical attack suspect likely ‘plunged from Chelsea bridge into the Thames’, say police

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Detectives looking the Clapham chemical attack suspect consider he plunged into the River Thames from Chelsea Bridge, the place he was final seen leaning over the railings.

The Metropolitan Police stated their “main working hypothesis” is that Abdul Ezedi entered the fast-moving river, hours after he allegedly doused his former associate and her two youngsters with corrosive liquid.

The police used CCTV to trace the suspect’s final identified actions to Chelsea Bridge, the place he was final seen at 11.30pm final Wednesday.

Over the coming days, boats will begin looking the river at low tide, however officers admitted recovering any stays may take months and his physique might by no means be discovered.

In a briefing at Scotland Yard on Friday, Commander Jon Savell stated: “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.

“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.”

Following the horrific attack, which left the sufferer, 31, with life-changing accidents, officers tracked Ezedi to Tower Hill, the place he acquired off an underground prepare and continued on foot for round 4 miles.

But his behaviour “visibly changes” as soon as he reaches Chelsea Bridge – the place is seen pacing up and down earlier than he pauses and leans over the railings, Detective Superintendent Rick Sewart stated.

“He’s walked with purpose, but has essentially hugged the Thames river line. When he has got to the area of Chelsea Bridge, his behaviour visibly appears to change in so much as he walked up and down the bridge – he pauses in the midpoint of the bridge, halfway down the bridge.

“Then he walked to and from the side of the bridge and can be seen to sort of lean over the railings before there is a loss of sight.”

Asked if officers consider Ezedi is lifeless, Det Supt Sewart responded: “We are prepared to say that he’s gone into the water and if he’s gone into the water that is the most probable outcome.”

It was additionally revealed that detectives had commissioned a National Crime Agency behavioural scientist to analyse Ezedi’s manner in the CCTV footage.

“I wouldn’t like to go into the exact details but they’ve sort of said what you’d expect them to say quite frankly, which is he’s committed an horrific attack. And that that’s it’s possible that he could have taken his own life given the circumstances,” Det Supt Sewart stated.

“At this time of year, the Thames is very fast flowing, very wide and full of lots of snags. It is quite likely that if he has gone in the water, he won’t appear for maybe up to a month and it’s not beyond possibility that he may never actually surface,” Commander Savell stated.

However detectives confirmed the investigation continues to be lively and they’re nonetheless pursuing different traces of enquiry as they examine the attack.

The main replace comes following a nine-day manhunt for the suspect, 31, who can also be thought to have suffered main accidents to the proper facet of his face throughout the attack.

Officers raided two addresses linked to Ezedi in Newcastle in the early hours of Thursday. In complete eight warrants have been executed thus far, three of which with armed officers.

Ezedi got here to the UK hidden in a lorry in 2016, and was turned down twice for asylum earlier than efficiently interesting towards the Home Office rejection by claiming he had transformed to Christianity.

He was convicted of two sexual offences in 2018 however was allowed to remain in the UK as a result of his crimes weren’t critical sufficient to fulfill the threshold for deportation.

A tribunal decide is known to have dominated in favour of his asylum declare in 2020 after a retired Baptist church minister confirmed he had transformed to Christianity, reportedly describing Ezedi as “wholly committed” to his new faith.

The girl harm in the attack, who might lose the sight in her proper eye, stays sedated in hospital and continues to be too in poor health to talk to police.