British police believe London chemical attacker Abdul Shokoor Ezedi is dead

Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Police in Britain said Friday they believe Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, the man suspected of attacking a mother, her two children and others with corrosive alkaline in London is dead.

Scotland Yard -- Britain's investigative agency -- said no body has been found but Ezedi was last seen on Closed Circuit Television footage near the River Thames nearly two hours after the attack.

"It is our main working hypothesis that he has now gone in the water," Scotland Yard Commander Jon Savell said.

Detective Superintendent Rick Stewart said Ezedi's death was the "most probable outcome" after he was seen going into the water.

"We've tracked his movements from Tower Hill ... he's walked over four miles ... essentially he's hugged the Thames river line. When he has got to the area of Chelsea Bridge his behavior physically appears to change, in so much as he walks up and down the bridge," Sewart said.

He noted that he was then seen leaning over the railings before he was "no longer visible on CCTV."

Savell said it may be a month or more before Ezedi's body surfaces as the river water moves quickly and searches will only be possible at low tide.

"The other possibility is that he may never actually surface," he said.

More than 100 officers were involved in the manhunt for Ezedi who first came to Britain in 2016 from Afghanistan and has been missing since the Jan. 31 attack.

The attack began after a 7:30 p.m. local time traffic collision in Clapham Common which is in the south part of London where "a man assaulted occupants in a car," according to London Assembly Member Marina Ahmad.

It is believed that Ezedi and the mother of the two children -- one 3 years old and the other 8 -- had a pre-existing relationship.

The mother -- whose identity is not yet known -- was said to be in poor condition Friday and will likely have "life-changing" injuries. The two children had already been released from the hospital.

Three women -- two in their 30s and one in her 50s since discharged from hospital with minor burns -- and a man were injured along with five responding police officers in their attempts to help the mother and her children after Ezedi threw the substance around during the London-area attack and then attempted to flee the scene.