by The Metropolitan Police have released a new image of the suspect in the alkali attack in Clapham, south London, which left a child and her mother with potentially life-changing injuries.
A manhunt has been launched for the “dangerous” suspect, named as 35-year-old Abdul Shakoor Ezedi, who is from the Newcastle area and is said to have “significant injuries to the right side of his face”.
A 31-year-old woman, believed to be known to Ezedi, and her three-year-old daughter – along with her other eight-year-old daughter – remain in hospital in a stable condition. Their identities have not been confirmed. Twelve people were injured in the attack on Wednesday night.
Here’s a breakdown of what we know – and don’t know – about the incident in Clapham:
What we know
The Met Police released the new image (above) at around 6pm on Thursday.
It shows on Caledonian Road, N1 at 8.48pm on Wednesday. It was taken from a Tesco store, where Ezedi is believed to have bought a bottle of water. He left the shop and turned right.
Wearing a blue T-shirt and a dark colored jacket, the image clearly shows the significant injuries on the right side of his face.
The attack happened at around 7.25pm in Lessar Avenue near Clapham Common and involved an alkaline substance. Police confirmed the suspect and the 31-year-old mother knew each other.
A younger child is thought to have been thrown to the ground in the incident. Police said as he tried to drive away from the scene, the attacker crashed into a parked vehicle and fled on foot.
No arrests have been made. The Met Police are working with Northumbria Police and British Transport Police to trace Ezedi, who police said may be trying to return to the North East.
In CCTV footage of the apparent attack, one person is seen being hit by a white car and a younger person is apparently thrown to the ground. Police can then be seen on camera coming to the aid of victims.
Eyewitnesses described seeing “horrific” scenes after they came out of their homes when they heard a crash.
Three members of the public who came to the family’s aid, two in their 30s and one in their 50s, have all been released from hospital with minor injuries. The force said five officers who responded to the incident were treated and have now left hospital.
Superintendent Gabriel Cameron, a senior officer who polices Lambeth, confirmed on February 1 that none of their conditions were life-threatening. However, he said the injuries to the woman and the younger girl could be life-changing and it may be some time before hospital staff are able to say how serious that could be. be.
He also said that the suspect may have been known to the police.
Superintendent Cameron confirmed that three women – two in their 30s and one in their 50s – were injured when they came to the family’s aid. All were released from hospital with minor burn injuries.
A man in his 50s, who also helped, refused hospital treatment for minor injuries. Five officers who were injured as they responded were treated and released from hospital.
What we do not know
Although we know the man knew the victims, we still don’t know their identities. The details of their injuries are also unknown.
Police have not yet determined the motive for the attack.
And while photographs and CCTV footage from the scene show two abandoned vehicles in the aftermath – a white hatchback with open doors and a silver hatchback – police have not said if either of the vehicles belonged to the attacker or the victims.
It is also unclear what happened before the alleged attack and whether the man followed the family or knew where they would be at a particular time of day.
Eyewitness accounts
Eyewitnesses also spoke about what they saw in the moments after the attack.
One person told the BBC that the mother was crying: “I can’t see, I can’t see” as he tried to help. “It was pretty terrible,” he said.
The eyewitness said he and his partner live on Lessar Avenue and ran down the street after hearing a car crash and crying for help. He recalled: “We came outside and we saw this guy and he took a girl out of the car and knocked her to the ground twice. I chased him halfway down the road, but I was in slippers so I didn’t a long time. When I came back, that’s when I saw the woman who was attacked … so I ran in to get water and just sprayed her down with water.”
Another witness, bus driver Shannon Christi, told the news agency PA Media that she was affected by the substance while trying to help the woman and two children outside her home. She said: “I heard a bang and I heard someone say ‘help’.
“I run outside and as I was running outside I saw this man throwing a child on the floor, he picked her up and threw her again. So, at that point I ran in and grabbed her and brought her into my block… At that point my skin started to tingle too, and my face started to tingle.”
Christi said staff took the child into the Clapham South Belvedere Hotel before she went to wash her own hands and face. She continued: “I’ve done that but my lips were still crying, I kept burning, I kept tingling, so I sat in the ambulance for a while and then they took me to hospital. It all happened so quickly.”
