Clapham chemical attack suspect’s injuries could be ‘fatal’ if untreated – last sighting near London’s Vauxhall Bridge

Police have said the Clapham chemical attack suspect’s injuries could be “fatal” if they remain untreated – as they revealed he was last seen crossing Vauxhall Bridge at 11pm and then walking along the river on the night of the incident.

In an update a week on from the attack, officers said the victim is still sedated in hospital and is “too poorly to speak” due to her “significant injuries”.

Detectives are treating the attack as attempted murder of the 31-year-old woman.

A £20,000 reward is on offer for information leading to the arrest of Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, who police have described as “dangerous”.

He has not been to hospital, despite appearing to have extensive injuries to the right side of his face, and hospitals remain on high alert.

Officers said they have reached 11pm on Wednesday 31 January on the night of the attack on CCTV, where he was seen crossing Vauxhall Bridge and walking on to Grosvenor Road.

He has been on the run since the attack involving a corrosive alkaline substance, either liquid sodium hydroxide or liquid sodium carbonate, on Lessar Avenue near Clapham Common a week ago.

The injured mother had been in a relationship with her suspected attacker, police have said.

Investigators added the breakdown of the relationship may have been a motive for the harrowing attack.

They said that she had agreed to meet him on the day of the incident, and that she and her children were in a car with Ezedi when the attack took place.

Twelve people were injured, including the mother and her two daughters, aged three and eight. The mother’s injuries are thought to be “life-changing” and she could lose the sight in her right eye.

Ezedi is not the father of her children, who have both left hospital.

Police believe he has received help from others to stay undetected.

A 22-year-old man was arrested on Monday on suspicion of assisting an offender. He was taken into custody and later released on bail as police continue to investigate.

The Metropolitan Police manhunt for Ezedi has been assisted by the British Transport Police and officers with Northumbria Police in Newcastle, where he lived.

Investigators say they are keeping an open mind as to whether Ezedi is dead, possibly after jumping in the river.

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A team of more than 100 officers has been dedicated to the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Met’s 24/7 hotline on 020 7175 2784 – or for an immediate sighting, dial 999.

Police have previously warned Ezedi could be dangerous and should not be approached.

Police are analysing Ezedi’s mobile phone, which was found in the car involved in the incident to establish the relationship between him and the victim.

But the fact that he no longer has it is making finding him harder.

Ezedi, believed to be from Afghanistan, is understood to have arrived in the UK in 2016.

He was handed a suspended sentence at Newcastle Crown Court in January 2018 after admitting sexual assault and exposure and was placed on the sex offender register and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.