Clapham alkali attack: Abdul Ezedi most likely dead and body may not be found, say police

Alkali attack suspect Abdul Ezedi is most likely to have died and his body may never be found, the Metropolitan Police have said.

The force said on Friday its main working hypothesis was the 35-year-old had "gone into" the River Thames after being seen leaning over the railings of Chelsea Bridge in west London on the night of the incident.

In a briefing at Scotland Yard, Commander Jon Savell said: "We have spent the last 24 hours meticulously following the CCTV, and it's our main working hypothesis that he's now gone into the water.

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"We have looked at all of the available cameras and angles, and with the assistance of Transport for London and CCTV from buses that were travelling over the bridge at the relevant time and there is no sighting of him coming off the bridge."

Asked whether police were willing to say that Ezedi was dead, Detective Superintendent Rick Sewart said: "I'm prepared to say that he's gone into the water and if he's gone into the water then that's the most probable outcome."

Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, is accused of pouring a strong alkali on his ex-partner, and injuring her two young children, aged three and eight, on Wednesday January 31 in Clapham, south London.

The woman had been in a relationship with Ezedi, with the breakdown of the relationship a possible motive for the attack.

Mr Savell confirmed the woman remained in a "critical but stable condition" in hospital and was still "very poorly and unable to speak" to police. He said it was possible they may never find Ezedi's body due to the speed of the current in the Thames.

He told the briefing: "At this time of year, the Thames is very fast flowing, very wide