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The Church of England has insisted that the Home Office is responsible for vetting asylum seekers, after it emerged Abdul Shokoor Ezedi was granted asylum after he converted to Christianity.

Ezedi said he had converted on his second asylum application, meaning he would have been at risk if he returned to Afghanistan.

After this second claim was refused, he appealed, and a tribunal overturned it in 2020, having heard from a church witness who said he believed that Ezedi had converted to Christianity.

A Church of England spokesperson said: “This is clearly a shocking and distressing incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by it.

"It is the role of the Home Office, and not the Church, to vet asylum seekers and judge the merits of their individual cases."

Image source, METROPOLITAN POLICE

The 35-year-old was already known to the criminal courts and the Home Office.

As we have reported, in 2018, Abdul Shokoor Ezedi was convicted of sexual assault and exposure.

He also applied for asylum in 2016, but was rejected.

A second attempt was also refused - but Ezedi appealed, saying he had converted to Christianity, and therefore would have been at risk if he had returned to Afghanistan, where he is believed to be from.

A church witness told the appeals tribunal that he believed Ezedi had converted to Christianity.

His appeal was successful in 2020, and he was granted asylum.

The British government is now facing urgent calls for a review into why his application was eventually approved.

Helena Wilkinson
Reporting from Clapham

Newcastle Crown Court has confirmed to the BBC from court records that Abdul Shokoor Ezedi was placed on the sex offender register for 10 years when he was sentenced for two offences on 9 January 2018.

The offences were sexual assault and exposure.

The total sentence was 45 weeks’ imprisonment which was suspended for two years.

He was also required to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Danny Savage
North of England correspondent

Yaya, the owner of Sultan Supermarket in Byker, Newcastle, has told me that he last saw Abdul Shokoor Ezedi in the shop on Tuesday.

Yaya said Ezedi was wearing the same clothes as he was seen wearing in the CCTV picture released by police after the attack.

"He seemed normal and relaxed and in general was always respectful and polite. He worked six or seven days in a pizza shop behind the counter," Yaya said.

"I was shocked. He was working hard. In the two years I knew him he never drank."

CCTV in Yaya's shop is deleted after 48 hours, so there are no images from Tuesday.

Yaya believes Ezedi is still in London because he would have been noticed on public transport with his injuries.

"A few months ago he said he was working hard to go back to Afghanistan to get married to a woman and bring her back to the UK, because he was tired of being single."

CCTV, courtesy of Sky News, appears to show the attack carried out in Clapham, south London, on Wednesday night.

Abdul Shokoor Ezedi escaped the scene on foot, and was later seen on Caledonian Road in north London.

BBC correspondents describe how the incident and aftermath unfolded.

The manhunt is still under way for Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, but what do we know so far about his whereabouts?

• The alkali attack took place on Lessar Avenue, near Clapham Common, at about 19:25 on Wednesday
• Ezedi attempted to escape the scene in a car but crashed into a stationary vehicle, then ran north
• A CCTV image was taken at a Tesco Express shop on Caledonian Road, north London, at 20:48 GMT on Wednesday - about 5.4 miles (8.7 km) away from the alkali attack, capturing Ezedi with facial injuries

Here is a map showing his journey across London, which was made in around one hour and 20 minutes.

Police have warned people to call 999 if they see him.

Welcome back to our live coverage of the search for Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, 35, who is wanted over the attack of a mother and her two young daughters in south London on Wednesday evening.

He was last seen at a Tesco store in north London, 70 minutes after the attack in Clapham.

CCTV shows he has a "significant injury" to the right side of his face, police say.

The mother, 31, and her daughters, aged eight and three, are still in hospital, after they were doused with a corrosive, alkaline substance.

The public has been warned not to approach Ezedi, if they spot him.

Image source, Met Police handout

We're pausing our live coverage for the moment. Thank you for very much for being with us today.

We will, however, bring you any major developments through the night here, as we get them.

To read more about the Clapham attack, click here.

Image source, PA Media

It's more than 24 hours since last night's attack on a woman and her two daughters in Clapham, south London, and police are still looking for a man suspected of being involved.

Here's how today has unfolded - so far:

• This morning, police announced a manhunt was under way following reports of a man dousing a woman and two children in a corrosive substance and then fleeing the scene

• The three victims - a mother aged 31, and her daughters, aged eight and three - remain in hospital. The woman and the younger girl's injuries could be "life-changing", police say
• Police praised four members of the public - three women and a man - for intervening and five officers for responding. All suffered minor injuries; some who attended hospital have been discharged
• A police update later confirmed the substance used in the attack was an alkali, and that officers were working on the basis that the suspect was known to the woman he targeted

• After lunch, police gathered reporters to name the suspect as Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, 35
• Police said Ezedi was from the "Newcastle area" and subsequently shared his photo with the public
• This evening police issued a new image, taken from CCTV in a Tesco store on Caledonian Road - some eight miles away from the scene of the attack - at 20:48 GMT last night. It is his last known sighting.

Police in London have released a new image as they step up the search for a man suspected of carrying out the attack in Clapham, south London, last night. Here is everything we know about him:

• He has been named as Abdul Shokoor Ezedi
• He is 35, and believed to be from the Newcastle area
• Ezedi is suspected of attacking a woman and her daughters with a corrosive substance at around 19:25 GMT
• He tried to leave the scene in a car, but collided with another vehicle and eventually fled on foot
• Ezedi is thought to have known the woman, but it is unclear what their relationship was
• Police do not know the motive for the alleged attack

• He was last seen on Caledonian Road in north London - some eight miles (13km) from the scene of the attack - buying a bottle of water from a Tesco store
• Police have urged the public to stay away if they see him, and call 999 immediately
• The BBC understands that Ezedi was twice turned down for asylum before being granted it in the end

Image source, Metropolitan Police

The home secretary has released a brief statement, expressing his shock at the attack in south London.

"Last night's attack on a mother and her two children in Clapham was appalling," James Cleverly said in a statement.

"My thoughts are with them and the brave members of the public and police who intervened."

Abdul Shokoor Ezedi is suspected of throwing a corrosive alkaline substance at a 31-year-old mother and her two daughters, aged eight and three, in Clapham, south London, nearly 24 hours ago.

It was reported that Ezedi had "thrown a child to the ground", according to a Metropolitan Police press release, leaving all three injured.

"While none of their conditions are life-threatening, the injuries to the woman and the younger girl could be life-changing," the statement said.

The suspect attempted to flee in a car but collided with a stationary vehicle. He subsequently left the scene on foot, in the direction of Clapham Common, according to police.

He was last seen on Caledonian Road - some eight miles away - and police have released an image of Ezedi from a Tesco store with "significant injuries" to his face. It is not clear how he sustained the injury.

Three women and a man were also injured when they attempted to help the victims; all have been discharged from hospital.

The Met police have urged the public to stay away from the suspect if they see him, and call 999, instead.

CCTV, courtesy of Sky News, appears to show the attack carried out in Clapham, south London, last night.

The BBC has edited two clips together as the middle section was too graphic to show.

Police are searching for 35-year-old Abdul Ezedi after a mother and her two girls were doused in their car with a "corrosive substance".

Image source, Metropolitan Police

The Metropolitan Police have released an image of Abdul Shokoor Ezedi.

The image shows an injury on Ezedi's face, which the police say "makes him distinctive".

They add that it was taken on 31 January in a Tesco store on Caledonian Road, north London, where Ezedi is believed to have purchased a bottle of water.

NHS England data shows the North West records the most incidents where someone was admitted to hospital after being assaulted by a corrosive substance. In the year ending last March - the most recent data available - there were about 20.

That is followed by about 15 in the North East, then 10 for both the South East and South West.

These figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 and all other regions have fewer than 8.

It is possible these figures are undercounts - it is not mandatory for the relevant box to be ticked. An individual may also have been admitted more than once in the same year.

The NHS has guidance on how to help anyone suffering with burns caused by acid, alkaline or caustic chemicals - it goes as follows:

• After calling 999 urgently, your first move should be to wash the burnt area with lots of water
• Rinse the affected area continuously, making sure the water can run off the wound rather than pool on the skin
• It’s important not to wipe the skin as this can embed the contaminant into the pores - if the chemical is a dry powder, gently brush it off
• You should then try to remove as much contaminated clothing as you can - using something like gloves to protect your hands. If possible, you should avoid pulling clothing over the head, as this can transfer the substance
• Stay on the phone until the ambulance arrives and follow any other advice given by the 999 call handler to avoid further injury

Read more about this on the NHS website here, external.

Esme Stallard
Science reporter

While we don’t know what exact substance was used in last night’s attack, police have said it was an alkaline substance - and alkalis are not difficult to come by.

They can be found in many common household items from bicarbonate of soda to drain cleaner. But not all of these substances are harmful to human health - it depends how strong they are.

Weak alkalis are unlikely to cause any harm. In fact they can be consumed - such as baking soda in cakes.

It is products that contain strong alkalis like sodium hydroxide that cause damage, external, these are most commonly used in strong household cleaners and the paper industry.

A common misconception is that is it only acids which are corrosive, but strong alkalis like this can also cause serious damage to humans.

Depending on how long you are exposed, the type of exposure (ingestion or skin contact) and the dose it can cause severe burns to tissue, accumulation of fluid in the lungs and blindness.

Image source, Getty Images

We said earlier that the last place Abdul Ezedi - the man police have named as the suspect in this case - had been seen was Caledonian Road in north London.

The Met didn't say when he was spotted there - and they didn't know why he was there at all.

In the last few minutes, the PA news agency has reported a heightened police presence on the road, with unmarked police cars reportedly dotted along it and police vans driving around the area.

We're keeping an eye on any potential developments.

Helena Wilkinson
News correspondent

Now that police have released an image of the suspect and named him, they’ll hope calls will start coming in from the public with reports of sightings.

It's the members of the public who have the potential to play an important role in helping track down Abdul Shokoor Ezedi.

We’ve been told by the Met that the 35-year-old has significant injuries to the right of his face. That is likely to make him stand out from the crowd.

But more than 20 hours hours after a mother and her two young daughters were hurt in Wednesday’s attack, he could be anywhere by now.

The last time he was seen was on Caledonian Road in north London. That’s around 8 miles (13km) from Clapham in south London where the attack happened. What we don’t know is when he was spotted there. He’s also not from London, but from Newcastle and police say it’s possible he may be going back there.

British Transport Police have been brought in to help the Met with this live investigation. The message to the public if they see Abdul Shokoor Ezedi is not to go near him, but instead to call 999.