LONDON (AP) – London police said on Tuesday they “strongly believe” that a body they pulled from the River Thames is that of a man wanted over a chemical attack that injured his former partner and her two young daughters.
The Metropolitan Police said the crew of a passing boat reported seeing a body in the water near the Tower of London on Monday afternoon. Detectives concluded it was that of 35-year-old Abdul Ezedi. His family has been informed.
Police launched a nationwide manhunt for Ezedi after the attack in the Clapham area of south London on January 31 that saw the 31-year-old mother doused with a corrosive alkali. Some of the chemical injured her eight-year-old daughter, while the three-year-old had her head slammed into the ground.
Images of Ezedi soon after showed he had significant injuries to the right side of his face, but his whereabouts were unknown. On February 9, the Met said they believed Ezedi had probably “gone into the water” after piecing together closed-circuit television footage of his movements after the attack.
“Based on the distinctive clothing he was wearing at the time of the attack and property found on his body, we strongly believe we have recovered the body of Ezedi,” Commander Jon Savell said yesterday.
