The woman injured when she was doused with a corrosive liquid in south London had been in a relationship with her suspected attacker, and this may have been a motive for the attack, police have said.
Abdul Ezedi is wanted for the attack in Clapham last Wednesday and remains at large.
Investigators updated the last confirmed sighting of Ezedi to Vauxhall Bridge Road in south-west London at about 11pm on the night of the attack, in which the 31-year-old woman’s daughters, aged three and eight, were also hurt.
Ezedi initially got on the tube using his bank card and then started walking above ground along a route that broadly follows the River Thames. The route provided by the Metropolitan police would appear to take Ezedi past New Scotland Yard.
The woman hurt in the attack remains sedated in hospital and is still too ill to speak to police. She may lose the sight in her right eye.
Police said she had agreed to meet Ezedi on the day of the attack, and she and her children were in a car with Ezedi when he struck.
Commander Jon Savell of the Met said the extensive manhunt for Ezedi was “an incredibly high-priority attempted murder investigation”.
Turning to potential motives, he said: “They were in a relationship and that relationship had broken down.”
Ezedi, who is not the father of the children who were hurt, suffered significant facial injuries that could prove fatal if left untreated, officers said.
Det Supt Rick Sewart, who is leading the hunt for the Afghan refugee, said: “The medical injuries to Ezedi appear very significant from imagery that we have recovered, to the right side of his face. And through the National Crime Agency we have received medical interpretation which would indicate that his injuries could be potentially fatal if not treated.”
Ezedi came to the UK hidden in a lorry in 2016 and was turned down twice for asylum before successfully appealing against the Home Office rejection by claiming he had converted to Christianity.
He was convicted of two sexual offences in 2018 but was allowed to stay in the UK because his crimes were not serious enough to meet the threshold for deportation.
A tribunal judge is understood to have ruled in favour of his asylum claim in 2020 after a retired Baptist church minister confirmed he had converted to Christianity, reportedly describing Ezedi as “wholly committed” to his new religion.
On Wednesday a Baptist church in Tyne and Wear confirmed it was aware of a “connection” it had with the suspect.
In a statement, the church in Jarrow said: “Grange Road Baptist church brings together and welcomes people from all walks of life and from many different nations. We are aware of the connection Abdul Shakoor Ezedi has had with our church. As soon as we became aware of the current situation, we made contact with and are cooperating with the relevant authorities. We are praying for all those affected by the situation.”
Investigators say they are keeping an open mind as to whether Ezedi is dead, possibly after jumping into the river, or whether he is being helped to stay hidden. Details of Ezedi were circulated to all UK forces and ports at an early stage.
