Neither body belonged to 35-year-old suspected of Clapham chemical attack on woman and children, say police

Two male bodies have been recovered from the River Thames as police search for a suspect who severely injured a “vulnerable” woman and her two young daughters in a chemical assault.

Neither body was identified as that of Abdul Ezedi, who has been on the run since the attack on 31 January in Clapham, south London. He was last seen walking “with purpose” to Chelsea Bridge in west London and was captured on CCTV leaning over the railings of the bridge on the night of the attack.

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The bodies of two men were pulled from the river on Saturday, and both deaths are being treated by police as “unexpected pending further inquiries”.

It is understood they were found not as a direct result of the search operation for 35-year-old Ezedi.

  • @cm0002@lemmy.worldEnglish
    14•9 months ago

    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.

    Not from the UK and setting aside everything else about this guy, WTF is this?? You can’t be accepted into the country unless your Christian?? Wut.

    • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝OPEnglish
      30•9 months ago

      It’s been the bit of the coverage that keeps making me go “wait, what?”. Conversion to Christianity isn’t a requirement but it does seem be a factor that can be considered. This is a less sensational overview than some doing the rounds and they point out that some people “convert” because they couldn’t be a Christian in their home country (like Afghanistan, where the Taliban might not look kindly on it). A claim for asylum partly based on escaping religious persecution might be viewed more favourably.

    • HeartyBeast
      6•9 months ago

      That’s not quite what is happening here. His original application for asylum was turned down on the grounds that it was found he would be reasonaby safe from persecution in his origin country. However, being Christian would have substantially added to is risk of return and he was therefore subsequently granted asylum.

    • Devi
      4•9 months ago

      On top of other reasons you’ve had, I was listening to the radio yesterday and apparently there’s Christian groups giving free help to asylum seekers if they convert. Free legal help probably being the most useful.

      They need the help obviously but it feels quite predatory to put conditions on it.

      • palordrolap
        3•9 months ago

        You need to understand that Jesus’ love is completely conditional on believing in Him (sic). And if you’re aware of Jesus and His (sic) Father (sic?) “which art in heaven” (sic, at least in some texts), anything you then do that is not for Them (sic?) is deserving of punishment.

        Christianity is a loving religion (sic).

        Makes me sic.