Abdul Ezedi manhunt: Armed police raid two Newcastle properties in search for Clapham attack suspect
Armed police executed two warrants in Newcastle in the early hours of Thursday morning at addresses associated with alkali attack suspect Abdul Ezedi, the Metropolitan Police said.
The force said the raids, carried out with Northumbria Police, included his place of work but no arrests have been made.
Met detectives have been searching for Afghan refugee Ezedi since a mother and her two daughters, aged three and eight, were doused with a corrosive alkaline liquid in Clapham, south London last Wednesday night.
On Wednesday, officers said Ezedi and the 31-year-old victim, who is still too ill to speak, had been in a relationship but it broke down.
Police said on Thursday that the last sighting confirmed of Ezedi is now him going in and out of Battersea Park before crossing Chelsea Bridge. The latest sighting, where he heads north over the bridge, is at 11.27pm on the night of attack on January 31.
A CCTV image has been released showing him before he enters the park.
There have been no confirmed sightings since. A £20,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to his arrest.
Speaking on Wednesday, Met Commander Jon Savell said: “The woman remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital. As we know she has very serious injuries and remains sedated and so poorly we haven’t yet been able to speak to her.
“This was a senseless and cruel attack by a dangerous man – we urge anyone with information about Ezedi’s whereabouts to contact us as matter of urgency. He is wanted for attempted murder.”
An earlier raid of properties in Newcastle last week, where Ezedi had been working at a pizza restaurant, uncovered empty bottles with corrosive warning labels.
Officers have suggested that the 35-year-old could be being shielded by accomplices, as more than 100 officers hunt for him, or that he could be dead. Ezedi, who is not the father of the children who were hurt in the attack, suffered significant facial injuries that could prove fatal if left untreated.
The convicted sex offender was granted asylum after converting to Christianity, sparking a fierce political debate.
He arrived in the UK on the back of a lorry in 2016.
Reports have suggested that he gained asylum after being given written testimony from a church, allowing him to stay in Britain on human rights grounds.
Home Secretary James Cleverly is understood to be awaiting a full report on the decision to grant Ezedi asylum before scrutinising whether there are flaws in the system which could prompt rule changes.
The suspect is thought to have travelled from South Clapham tube after the attack, reappearing in a Tesco Express in Caledonian Road near King’s cross where he bought a bottle of water.
The footage clearly shows he has serious injuries to the right side of his face. He then went into King’s Cross station and was picked up again on camera at Tower Hill.
He then headed towards the Thames with the last confirmed sighting when he was caught on camera crossing Vauxhall Bridge Road into Grosvenor Road at 11.03pm on Wednesday.
Updated timeline of Ezedi’s movements
The Met Police has released a timeline of Ezedi's last known locations
00:15 – Ezedi’s vehicle is seen in Newcastle 06:30 – His vehicle is then seen traveling into Tooting, London 16:30 – A further sighting of his vehicle is confirmed in Croydon 19:00 – He is then seen driving in Streatham 19:25 – Attack takes place in Lessar Avenue, SW4, before Ezedi makes off in his vehicle which crashes nearby. He leaves the car and runs off. 19:33 – Ezedi boards a train at Clapham South Tube Station. 19:59 – He is then seen leaving that train at King’s Cross Tube Station. 20:42 – He is then seen on CCTV leaving Tesco at 21 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DX. He exits and turns right. 21:00 - Ezedi enters King’s Cross Tube Station and boards a Victoria Line tube southbound. 21:10 – He gets off at Victoria Tube Station and heads towards the district line. 21:16 – Ezedi boards an eastbound District Line train. 21:33 – Ezedi exits Tower Hill Tube Station. 21:47 - He is seen on Allhallows Lane, EC3. He travels through a passage to Cousin Lane. Then he turns right, walking towards Upper Thames Street. 21:51 - He then turns left onto Upper Thames Street 21:54 – He travels along Upper Thames Street 21:59 – Ezedi passes the City of London School on Pauls Walk EC4, heading towards Blackfriars Bridge. He passes the riverboat pier. 22:04 – He then passes the Unilever building and heads towards Victoria Embankment. 22:06 – Ezedi passes Carmelite House, junction with Carmelite Street towards Temple.22:28 - He passes Westminster Pier, goes up steps and continues towards Westminster.22:33 - Ezedi seen walking south on Westminster bridge (footage released Wednesday) 22:36 – He walks across Westminster Bridge, down steps on the London Eye side towards Lambeth 22:42 – Ezedi seen walking west on south Thames Path towards Lambeth Bridge 22:55 – He travels along the Albert Embankment approaching Vauxhall Bridge (image released Wednesday) 23:00 – Ezedi crosses Vauxhall Bridge towards stairs (Houses of Parliament side of the river) 23:03 - He crosses Vauxhall Bridge Road, into Grosvenor Road. 23:10 – Ezedi walks west bound past the Shell petrol station 23:19 - He passes the Thames Water Building, Grosvenor Road, heading towards Chelsea Bridge 23:25 – He crosses over Chelsea Bridge and enters Battersea Park. (image released Thursday) 23:27 - He crosses back over Chelsea Bridge towards the north side.