POLICE IN THE UK are searching an area of the River Thames in central London for alkali attack suspect Abdul Ezedi.

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 31 January.

Detectives believe Ezedi may have gone into the river after being seen on CCTV leaning over the railings of Chelsea Bridge in west London on the night the woman and two young girls were attacked with a corrosive substance in Clapham, south London.

The injured woman is in a “critical but stable condition” in hospital and still “very poorly and unable to speak” to police. 

The Metropolitan Police’s main working hypothesis is the Ezedi had “gone into” the Thames. However, police admit that his body may never be found due to the speed of the current in the river.

A police boat circled a section of the river today, drawing a crowd that watched the operation despite poor visibility caused by bad weather. 

In a briefing at Scotland Yard on yesterday, 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.

“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.”

A manhunt had been underway for more than a week, with officers raiding two addresses linked to Ezedi in Newcastle in the early hours of Thursday.

Ezedi, who is not the father of the children who were hurt, suffered significant facial injuries in the incident which police previously said could prove fatal if left untreated.