Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson has spoken to reporters about the Clapham attack and subsequent hunt for the suspect, that continues into a second day.
They said: “First and foremost on the attack, obviously, it was a horrific attack and the prime minister’s thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
They added that the prime minister would “like to extend his thanks to the emergency services for the very quick response to the scene and the five officers who were injured in the incident”.
Asked about the immigration status of the suspect, the official declined to comment during a live police investigation but said that, more broadly, “the prime minister doesn’t think that foreign criminals should be able to stay in the country, putting the public at risk”.
What we know so far …
Scotland Yard continues to hunt a “significantly injured” suspect who allegedly left a “vulnerable” young woman and her toddler with potentially life-changing wounds after throwing a corrosive substance over them on Wednesday night in Clapham.
The last known confirmed sighting of Abdul Ezedi was in a Tesco in Caledonian Road, north London, about eight miles from the location of the attack. He is believed to have bought a bottle of water at 8.48pm on Wednesday before leaving the shop and turning right. Police believe he may be trying to head back to the north-east, where he lived.
The police have warned people not to approach him, but to call 999 if they see him. There is a telephone number to give any information on 0207 175 2784.
Three members of the public who came to the aid of the family attacked on Wednesday, two in their 30s and one in her 50s, have all been discharged from hospital with minor burns. The Metropolitan police said five officers who responded to the incident were also treated and have now left hospital. It is yet to be confirmed what substance was used in the attack.
Ezedi is believed by British government officials to be an Afghan national who arrived by lorry in 2016, and who was subsequently granted asylum in the UK at the third attempt.
The Crown Prosecution Service have confirmed that in 2018, Ezedi was sentenced at Newcastle crown court after pleading guilty to sexual assault and exposure. He received a nine-week jail term suspended for two years for the sexual assault, and 36 weeks’ imprisonment to be served consecutively, also suspended, for exposure.
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Streatham, said the attack highlighted the issue of violence against women and girls, saying “that is something that is carried about by people whether they subscribe to a particular faith, whether they have a particular ethnicity, whether they were born in this country or not. It’s something that is right across our society and we need to look at prevention.”
A political row has developed with former immigration minister Robert Jenrick saying he expects the home secretary to carry out a “detailed review” of how Abdul Ezedi was granted asylum.
We will resume this live blog when there are further developments.
Updated
Timeline of key events in search for chemical attack suspect
Here is a timeline of the events so far, via PA Media …
Wednesday 31 January
Abdul Ezedi, 35, is believed to have travelled to London from Newcastle, where he had been living.
Wednesday 7.25pm: Ezedi is suspected of an attack on a 31-year-old woman, who was with her daughters, aged three and eight. Ezedi is believed to have known them. Ezedi is said to have made an attempt to drive away from the scene but crashed into a stationary vehicle and fled on foot. A dozen people, including five Metropolitan police officers, are injured.
Wednesday 8.48pm: Ezedi was seen with “significant injuries to the right side of his face” at a Tesco Express shop on Caledonian Road, north London. He is believed to have bought a bottle of water before leaving the shop and turning right.
Thursday 1 Feb
Scotland Yard says the 31-year-old woman and three-year-old girl have potentially life-changing injuries.
Thursday 1.35pm: Ezedi’s identity is revealed and members of the public are warned to stay away from him. The police say he may be trying to return to the north-east.
Thursday 6pm: The image of Ezedi buying a bottle of water is released.
The police have warned people not to approach Ezedi, but to call 999. There is a telephone number to give any information on 0207 175 2784.
Updated
Action Foundation, a church-founded charity set up in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2007, which provides support to migrants, has confirmed that Abdul Ezedi used their accommodation for nearly a year.
Sky News reports chief executive Duncan McAuley said:
We’d like to first of all express our sympathy to the people involved in this shocking incident.
We can confirm that Abdul Shokoor Ezedi was supported in rented property through our Action Letting project for refugees who have been granted leave to remain in the UK between the dates 29 April 2021 and 2 March 2022.
We understand he then moved to other homeless accommodation in Newcastle.
Updated
CPS confirms Abdul Ezedi pleaded guilty to sexual assault and exposure charges in 2018
The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed Abdul Ezedi pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual assault and one of exposure.
PA Media reports he was sentenced at Newcastle crown court on 9 January 2018, to a nine-week jail term suspended for two years for the sexual assault.
For the exposure he was given 36 weeks’ imprisonment to be served consecutively, which was also suspended for two years.
Updated
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick has said that he expects the home secretary to carry out a “detailed review” of how Abdul Ezedi was granted asylum.
PA Media reports he told the BBC:
We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, and I would expect the home secretary to conduct a detailed review of what has happened and what may have gone seriously wrong in this case, and to put that information in the public domain, such is the public interest.
Jenrick quit the government in December, saying Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation legislation did not go far enough.
Three members of the public who came to the aid of the family attacked on Wednesday, two in their 30s and one in her 50s, have all been discharged from hospital with minor burns, PA Media reports.
The force said five officers who responded to the incident were also treated and have now left hospital.
The 31-year-old woman who appeared to be the target of the attack, and who is believed to be known to Ezedi, and her three-year-old and eight-year-old daughters were all known to be in a stable condition in hospital on Thursday afternoon. Police described their injuries as “life-changing” not “life-threatening”.
Updated
Here is the last update on social media that the Metropolitan police in London gave, after a confirmed sighting of suspect Abdul Ezedi in a Tesco in north London’s Caledonian Road at 8.48pm Wednesday night.
The police have warned people not to approach him, but to call 999. There is a telephone number to give any information on 0207 175 2784.
The last confirmed sighting of Abdul Ezedi was in Tesco on Caledonian Road, N1 at 8.48pm last night.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) February 1, 2024
If you see Ezedi, call 999 immediately. He should NOT be approached.
If you have information as to his whereabouts call 0207 175 2784https://t.co/qQq1MXYXes
Updated
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP for Streatham, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she was concerned by the direction of questioning into Ezedi’s background. She said: “It’s definitely clear that there’s an issue with our criminal justice system. And you know, we do need to see some overhauls there.”
“In this country an average of two women are killed a week by their partner or their former partner. And so we’re living in a society that just normalises violence against women and girls.”
Asked if she was saying Ezedi’s asylum status was not a factor, she said: “I’m saying that the most important factor is violence against women and girls. The reasons as to why he was given asylum, we don’t know.
“There may have been some serious issues in terms of how the criminal justice system processed that particular issue of his particular sex offence. That may have been an issue.
“I’m saying the primary issue is violence against women and girls, because that is something that is carried about by people whether they subscribe to a particular faith, whether they have a particular ethnicity, whether they were born in this country or not.
“It’s something that is right across our society and we need to look at prevention because ultimately is better than killing. And we keep getting to this place where we’re talking about horrible incidents of violence against women after they’ve happened.”
Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent in the Metropolitan police, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the Metropolitan police, Northumbria and British Transport Police forces will be working together to form an intelligence cell to aid the hunt for Ezedi.
Babu said there would be “questions asked” about the nature of the offence for which Ezedi was previously convicted.
“We understand it was exposure,” he said. “These are often gateway offences.”
“So there will be questions asked around what probation were doing, how they were monitoring him, and it may well be that they’ve done everything. Certainly there will be questions.
“I think there’s some wider questions, which is perhaps beyond my expertise, but around asylum. He claimed to have converted to Christianity. And I know that this will feature in terms of the review of this case, which inevitably there will be.”
There was a sense of shock in Clapham yesterday after the attack. A witness said he heard screaming outside and saw a child banging on the window of a car before seeing a man throwing a substance on a woman.
They told the Guardian:
I started to hear screaming. I looked out of my window and saw a woman had got hit by a car.
Her daughter banged on the car window to tell the guy behind the wheel to get out.
At that point, he threw acid on her. Then he took a girl who must have been three years old out of the backseat and picked her up and smashed her on the floor twice.
Then he ran away because people started chasing him. After that I heard a woman screaming: ‘My eyes, my eyes, where are my children?’ She was running up and down with her eyes covered.
Neighbours came out and began splashing water in her eyes. The little kid kept on screaming: ‘Where is my mummy?’”
Another resident called the suspect “mad and bad” and said that while violence in the area was not common, “nowhere in London is safe”.
Updated
The Met has released two images of suspect Abdul Ezedi so far:
The children’s minister, David Johnston, was pressed by Sky News this morning on the decision to grant asylum to the suspect after his conviction in 2018 for a sexual offence.
He said:
I don’t have his case file and I can’t say anything that might affect the police’s investigation here.
He is still at large and what we really need is anyone with information to come forward in order that he can be apprehended, given he is police’s key suspect.
Updated
What do we know about the suspect?
As police appeal for information about the suspect’s whereabouts, here is a summary of what we know so far:
Abdul Shokoor Ezedi is 35 years old and from the Newcastle area
Police say the suspect has been left with “significant injuries to the right side of his face” following the incident
It is believed he was known to the victims, a mother and two young daughters
He was last seen in Caledonian Road, north London, around 8 miles from Clapham, but police have not said when
Ezedi “could be going back” to Newcastle, police said
Officers have urged the public not to approach Ezedi, after the Met previously described him as a “dangerous individual”
The suspect was granted asylum by the UK government after his conviction in 2018 for a sexual offence, after completing his sentence imposed at Newcastle crown court
He was believed by British government officials to be an Afghan national who arrived by lorry in 2016
British Transport Police are assisting with the manhunt.
If the public see Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, the advice is not to go near him, but instead to call 999.
Updated
The Metropolitan police have alerted other forces in case the 35-year-old tries to flee London, with a superintendent, Gabriel Cameron, saying he was last seen in the Caledonian Road area of north London, and was believed to have travelled from the north-east of England to carry out the attack.
He did not confirm what substance was used, saying many such corrosive products were readily available in high street shops, nor how the attacker sustained his injury.
What happened during the attack?
Emergency services were called to Lessar Avenue in Clapham at about 7.25pm on Wednesday after a woman and her daughters were doused with what detectives called an alkaline substance.
The victims were taken to hospital along with members of the public and police officers who were injured as they tried to help.
In total, 12 people were injured in the attack, police said.
The 31-year-old woman, who is believed to be known to Ezedi, and her three-year-old and eight-year-old daughters were in a stable condition in hospital on Thursday afternoon.
However, the woman and the youngest daughter may have suffered life-changing injuries, police said.
Three members of the public who came to the aid of the family, two in their 30s and one in her 50s, have all been discharged from hospital with minor burns.
The force said five officers who responded to the incident were also treated and have now left hospital.
Updated
Manhunt continues for suspect
Thirty-six hours after 12 people were hurt in a chemical attack in Clapham, south-west London, the main suspect remains at large.
Scotland Yard is hunting a “significantly injured” suspect who allegedly left a “vulnerable” young woman and her toddler with potentially life-changing wounds after throwing a corrosive substance over them.
Detectives shared a new photo of Abdul Ezedi on Thursday, calling him “dangerous” and highlighting the injured right side of his face while appealing for witnesses to come forward. But they warned: “If you see him, do not approach him.”
We’ll bring you the latest updates as we get them.
Updated
