British police announced on Tuesday that they had probably found in the Thames, in the center of London, the body of a man suspected of an attack with a chemical against his ex-partner and the latter's two daughters. .
Abdul Ezedi, 35, is suspected of having sprayed his former partner, 31, and her two young daughters, with an
“alkaline”
substance (like soda or bleach) in his car on Wednesday January 31 evening.
He himself had been seriously injured in the face by the substance during the attack, the images of which, made public, had caused fear.
Since this attack in the Clapham district of south London, the police had launched a real manhunt, also offering a reward of 20,000 pounds (23,400 euros) for any information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
But based on CCTV footage, she said she thought he was dead.
She said on Tuesday that a body had been spotted on Monday afternoon by boat in the center of London, near Tower Bridge, one of the capital's most famous tourist attractions.
“Based on the distinctive clothing he was wearing at the time of the attack and the items found on his body, we firmly believe we have found Ezedi’s body
,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
A first sentence in 2018
She stressed that it would take time to formally identify the body, which had deteriorated, not allowing the use of fingerprints and requiring the use of DNA or dental prints.
Scotland Yard had indicated that Abdul Ezedi had been in a relationship with the mother of the two girls, aged three and eight, but that the couple had separated.
The victim, who could lose the use of her right eye as a result of the attack, is still hospitalized, police said Tuesday, specifying however that
"her condition has improved"
and that she
"is no longer under sedative
.
As for his two daughters, their injuries were not as serious as initially feared.
According to British media, Abdul Ezedi, who is believed to have arrived from Afghanistan in 2016, was previously convicted in 2018 of a sexual offense and given a suspended sentence by Newcastle Crown Court.
According to the same source, he was granted asylum in the United Kingdom after two failures, after a priest told British authorities that he had converted to Christianity.