Police investigating a corrosive alkaline substance attack which left a toddler and her mother with potentially life-changing injuries have named the suspect as Abdul Ezedi.
The 35-year-old alleged attacker, from the Newcastle area, was described by Metropolitan Police Superintendent Gabriel Cameron as having “significant injuries to the right side of his face” following the incident in south London on Wednesday.
A 31-year-old woman, who is believed to be known to Ezedi, and her three-year-old daughter, alongside her other daughter, aged eight, remain in hospital in a stable condition.
A manhunt is under way for the “dangerous” suspect after he also allegedly threw the younger child to the ground in the attack in Lessar Avenue, near Clapham Common, at about 7.25pm.
Police said in his attempt to drive away from the scene, the attacker crashed into a stationary vehicle and made off on foot.
Mr Cameron said the force was working in collaboration with Northumbria Police as Ezedi “could be going back” to Newcastle.
The officer urged the public not to approach Ezedi, after the Met previously described him as a “dangerous individual”.
Mr Cameron told reporters: “We will catch him, I’m wholeheartedly confident.”
Ezedi is believed to have travelled down from Newcastle on the day of the attack, but detectives are currently unsure what led to the incident.
The officer said: “The male was last seen in the north London area – Caledonian Road – and if you see him… I plea for you not to approach him, call 999.”
Mr Cameron said Ezedi may have been known to police previously.
He said: “At this stage I believe he may have been known to police, but he’s not a local resident from London as far as I’m aware. He’s come down from Newcastle.”
Mr Cameron added that it was a “horrific crime” against a “vulnerable female”.
