Clapham chemical assault: hunt for suspect after 12 hurt – latest ...

Supt Gabriel Cameron, attached to Lambeth police station, has just given an update to press gathered at the area in Clapham.

He described the chemical assault last night in Clapham as “horrific” and gave further details on the man police are looking for: a 35-year-old named Abdul Ezedi. Cameron said Ezedi was with the woman and children attacked last night but had left the scene. Ezedi was last seen in Caledonian Road, north London, he added.

“He has significant injuries to the right side of his face,” Cameron said. He urged: “If you see him … I plead [you] to not approach him. Call 999.”

Cameron has also confirmed that police will circulate photographs of Ezedi later. If anyone has any information, dashcam or doorbell footage, a number has been shared that will go straight to his officers, said Cameron. It is 02071 752784. Crimestoppers can also be contacted on 101.

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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 was in Caledonian Road, north London, around eight 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”.

• 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.

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Here are some images on the news wires from the scene of the chemical assault that took place on Lesser Avenue near Clapham Common, south London. There are also a couple from the press conference with Supt Gabriel Cameron on Thursday below:

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The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has spoken to BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme about the chemical assault in Clapham, which he called “truly shocking”. He said he had been in close contact with the police since last night.

Khan said he was “incredibly proud of the passersby who ran to this woman and her children’s aid”. He thanked those members of the public and the police officers for their “heroism”.

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“Neighbours invited people in to their homes to wash their eyes with water. A local hotel nearby opened their doors to the police and to victims to wash out some of the corrosive substance,” said Khan, acknowledging that it can be difficult to know what to do in such an instance as a chemical assault.

Khan said attacks using corrosive substances had been reduced from hundreds to a handful as a result of new legislation, but he added that unfortunately household products – such as detergents and paint strippers – contain the substances that can cause such “huge damage” and pose a danger to the public.

Khan says corrosive substance are also “offensive weapons” alongside guns and knives. “Just as we are taking action, in terms of a public health approach, towards guns and knives, so we have got to do the same with this kind of stuff as well.”

He added: “We have to make it as difficult as possible for average people to get hold of dangerous substances.” Khan said the attack last night was targeted, so early intervention was “crucial”.

My colleague, Kevin Rawlinson has written the following news article on detectives naming the suspect wanted in connection with the chemical assault in Clapham. You can read the full piece at the link below:

Detectives have named the man suspected of attacking a woman and her children with an alkaline corrosive substance as Abdul Ezedi.

Scotland Yard has launched a manhunt, appealing for witnesses to come forward, but imploring anyone who sees him not to approach him.

The 35-year-old alleged attacker, from the Newcastle area, was described by the Metropolitan police superintendent Gabriel Cameron as having “significant injuries to the right side of his face” after the attack in Clapham in south London on Wednesday.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the Labour MP for Streatham, has been at the scene in Clapham this morning. She told the BBC: “My first thoughts were with those who may have been harmed. It was a very, very scary thing to hear. And also all of the local residents are quite shocked and quite worried that something like this had happened.”

She thanked the members of the public and police officers who tried to help the victims: “It was so brave of all of them to come out and help in the way that they did.”

Supt Gabriel Cameron was also asked about the car involved in last night’s assault. He said he believed it was the suspect’s car. It is a white Hyundai.

Questioned about the substance used in the assault, Cameron said: “We know it is a corrosive alkaline substance. We can buy all sorts in the high street.”

He said police didn’t yet know where the suspect lived but was “wholeheartedly confident we will catch him”. “He may have been known to police,” Cameron added. “I have no idea of the suspect’s motivation.”

Cameron also thanked members of the public – three women and one man – for trying to help the woman and her daughters who were allegedly targeted by Abdul Ezedi. He says that none of them sustained major injuries.

“We don’t know the actual relationship at this stage,” said Supt Gabriel Cameron at the press conference. “As far as I’m aware, the suspect has travelled down from Newcastle. At this stage I do not know where the victims reside.”

Asked whether Ezedi was a British national, Cameron said there were ongoing inquiries into that. He replied that there was a “significant asset looking for this male” when asked how many officers were involved in the man hunt.

London’s Metropolitan police have released an image of the male suspect, Abdul Shokoor Ezedi. Police said call 999 if you see him.

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Asked by a reporter at the scene about the scale of the manhunt, Supt Gabriel Cameron said:

We are liaising with our local other partners [and] agencies. We are working alongside Northumbria [police]. We believe the male is from the Newcastle area and he could be going back there. He might not be but he could be. British Transport Police (BTP) are working alongside us as well. We are working in collaboration with other agencies to try and locate this male.”

Supt Gabriel Cameron, attached to Lambeth police station, has just given an update to press gathered at the area in Clapham.

He described the chemical assault last night in Clapham as “horrific” and gave further details on the man police are looking for: a 35-year-old named Abdul Ezedi. Cameron said Ezedi was with the woman and children attacked last night but had left the scene. Ezedi was last seen in Caledonian Road, north London, he added.

“He has significant injuries to the right side of his face,” Cameron said. He urged: “If you see him … I plead [you] to not approach him. Call 999.”

Cameron has also confirmed that police will circulate photographs of Ezedi later. If anyone has any information, dashcam or doorbell footage, a number has been shared that will go straight to his officers, said Cameron. It is 02071 752784. Crimestoppers can also be contacted on 101.

As we’ve already reported, the suspect in last night’s attack is still at large. Speaking to the BBC this morning, the Met’s Mark Rowley said this about the search:

We have a big team of officers, [including] the local officers who dealt with it assisted by colleagues. We are hunting for him as we speak.

He added:

It’s understandable that it’s frightening. This is a ghastly attack, and the first thing to say is we have a live manhunt.

We are due to hear more from the police shortly.

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Earlier, the Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, told the BBC that “attacks using acid and chemicals are exceedingly rare”.

So how rare are they? The PA news agency has provided these statistics from the ONS:

• Police in England and Wales recorded 472 violent and robbery offences involving a corrosive substance in the year to March 2023.

• There were 525 recorded in the previous 12-month period.

The data is published annually but only dates back to March 2020, when current records began. The Home Office started collecting data on some offences involving corrosive substances from April 2019 as part of a government pledge to tackle such attacks.

The figures to March 2023 exclude any reports that may have been made to Devon and Cornwall police because the force has been unable to supply data due to problems with a new computer system.

The London Fire Brigade has issued a statement on what it calls last night’s “terrible incident”.

It says firefighters were on the scene within three minutes of the attack being called in.

Assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne said:

Firefighters were on scene three minutes after being called to help at this terrible incident. This included specially trained crews and equipment to deal with hazardous materials incidents. Crews quickly treated a number of casualties at the scene alongside emergency service colleagues, whilst identifying the substance.

A number of people sustained injuries whilst coming to the aid of the woman and children. Injuries caused by corrosive substances can be very damaging and require immediate medical attention. It is important to call 999 immediately and to keep a safe distance from someone you believe to have been exposed to a hazardous substance.

On Thursday morning, the sense of shock and disbelief at the scene was palpable. The attack took place on a leafy, affluent residential street in Clapham that joined a main road.

“This area, Clapham South as a whole, is a good area. Nothing tough happens here. Especially this road,” a resident said.

Members of the press were camped outside a small block of flats that overlooked the scene. Local councillors and MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy were also there.

One witness told the Guardian:

I was watching the Liverpool v Chelsea game when 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”.

The Clapham South Belvedere Hotel, on Clapham Common South Side, has confirmed that its guests were victims of the attack last night.

A spokesperson said:

At 7.25pm last night, police and ambulance services were called to attend on a serious incident in which guests at the Belvedere Hotel were a victim.

Belvedere Hotel staff, having supported the work of the emergency services, have provided assistance to the guests affected and sought to reassure other hotel guests as to their safety and wellbeing.

The staff team will continue to provide assistance to guests and the police going forward.

As this is an ongoing police investigation, we are not able to provide any further comment.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected.

Sky News has obtained video footage of last night’s attack, which you can watch below.

Warning: some viewers may find it distressing

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Our photographer Martin Godwin is at the scene of last night’s attack, where a police presence remains.

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