Underwater searches of Thames begin for Clapham chemical attack suspect

Underwater searches of the River Thames for a man suspected of a chemical attack in south London of the River Thames are underway.

It's after the Metropolitan Police said on Friday that Abdul Ezedi, 35, is believed to have "gone into" the Thames on the night of the attack.

He was last seen by CCTV leaning over railings on Chelsea Bridge just before 11:30pm on 31 January.

The Met's Marine Policing Unit are beginning boat searches for Ezedi at low tide.

Commander Jon Savell told reporters that the Met's working assumption is that Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, is most likely dead.

He added the speed of the current in the Thames means Ezedi's body may never be found.

"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."

Ezedi is wanted by police in connection with an alkali attack which injured a woman, who is believed to be his partner, and her two children in Clapham.

The woman remains in a "critical but stable condition" in hospital, but remains "very poorly and unable to speak" to officers.

A manhunt has been ongoing for over a week, with officers also raiding addresses in Newcastle linked to Ezedi.

Ezedi was granted asylum in the UK in 2020 after claiming he had converted to Christianity.

This is despite two previous applications being rejected, and being convicted of two sexual offences.