Clapham chemical attacker Abdul Ezedi killed himself by jumping into the Thames hours after attacking a woman and two girls, a coroner has ruled.
Police began searching for the 35-year-old man after the attack in south London on January 31.
The pizza delivery man is believed to have entered the Thames later in the day and his the body was found just below Chelsea Bridge on February 19.
Senior coroner Mary Hassell ruled out the possibility that Ezedi was pushed or fell into the water by accident and ruled that he committed suicide and drowned.
Police search for Ezedi’s body. Photo: Sky News
Photo: PA
She told the inquest at Poplar Coroner’s Court in east London: “The circumstances surrounding his death are partly clear.
“Evidence provided by the Metropolitan Police Service shows that it is likely that he entered the Thames at Chelsea Bridge at around 11.30pm.
“It seems likely to me that he drowned almost immediately and, although he was not found until 19 February 2024, I would date his death to 31 January.”
Ms Hassell added: “Given the circumstances, particularly what happened on the day, I think it is likely that he jumped into the water, and I think it is likely that he did so with the intention of taking his own life.”
Ezedi filmed on CCTV after the attack. Photo: Metropolitan Police
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A massive manhunt saw detectives follow Ezedi’s last movements along the river on CCTV.
It came after his ex-girlfriend was sprayed with a corrosive chemical in an attack on her and her daughters, aged three and eight.
After Ezedi, from the Newcastle area, fled the scene he was captured on CCTV with what appeared to be serious facial injuries.
Ezedi first used his bank card to travel on the Tube before walking a route largely along the banks of the Thames in the hours that followed.
In the days following the attack, it emerged that Ezedi had been granted asylum in the UK in 2020.
This is despite the fact that he was given a suspended sentence for a sex offence in November 2018.
Detective Sergeant Christine Clayton admitted Ezedi was the prime suspect in the chemical attack.
A positive identification was made that he was the guard of a car that was at the scene, she told the court.
No final note was found after his death and he did not search online for ways to commit suicide, she added.
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No member of Ezedi’s family attended the inquest, where a number of statements were also read out in an attempt to reconstruct his final movements, actions and state of mind.
Dr Katie Senior, a GP at a Newcastle practice where Ezedi was a patient, said he had only attended twice for sleep problems and eczema and was not taking medication.
She said his medical history showed he suffered from depression when he was with another GP and he had not had contact with mental health services.
Blood and urine tests were also conducted to determine whether Ezedi was intoxicated when he entered the water.
Toxicologist Matthew Christopher said there was a “low concentration” of alcohol, below legal limits, and no drugs were found.
In his statement, medical examiner Dr Robert Chapman described Ezedi as a thin, small man whose body showed “no evidence of external or internal injury” but was “significantly decomposed”.
