SCOTLAND YARD has offered a £20,000 reward for information that could end the five-day manhunt for the Clapham alkali attacker.
As officers confirmed that a “very strong concentrated corrosive substance” was used in the attack, they offered the bounty for information that leads to the arrest of Abdul Ezedi, 35.
The Afghan national, who is described as having very “significant injuries to the right side of his face, has been on the run since Wednesday evening after a 31-year-old woman suffered potentially life-changing injuries while her daughters, aged eight and three, were also hurt in the attack in Clapham, south-west London.
Officers said the substance used in the attack was either liquid sodium hydroxide or liquid sodium carbonate, which are used in detergents and to make soaps, while sodium hydroxide is also used in drain cleaners.
Detectives on Sunday updated his last known sighting to Tower Hill station in east London late on Wednesday evening. He was spotted at the station, yards from the Tower of London, at 9.33pm, having taken a train from Victoria.
Previous sightings put him at King’s Cross Station at about 9pm on Jan 31 and police said he boarded a Victoria Line train to Victoria Station, arriving at 9.10pm, before switching to an eastbound District Line train.
Detectives have warned that anyone harbouring the fugitive is committing an offence and a charity which helps Afghan nationals in the UK on Sunday appealed for Ezedi to turn himself in.
In an appeal directly to Ezedi, Darius Nasimi, of the charity the Afghanistan & Central Asian Association, told him to go to a police station “immediately”.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
