LONDON – British police have launched a manhunt for a suspect who injured several people by throwing a corrosive chemical on them, with political attention focusing on his status as someone who was granted asylum after a conviction for sexual assault.

London’s Metropolitan Police said they were looking for Abdul Shokoor Ezedi after a woman and her two daughters, aged eight and three, were attacked on the evening of Jan 31 in Clapham, south London, in a “horrific” incident, leaving them in hospital with possibly life-changing injuries.

Three other women and one man who came to their aid suffered minor burn injuries, and five police officers who responded were also injured.

“(The) attack on a mother and her two children in Clapham was appalling,” Britain’s Interior Minister James Cleverly said in a statement on Friday.

“My thoughts are with them and the brave members of the public and police who intervened,” he said, adding it would be inappropriate to comment further while a live investigation was ongoing.

A source familiar with the case told Reuters that Ezedi was granted asylum in Britain and had a previous conviction for sexual assault. Police declined further comment.

The BBC said Ezedi was originally from Afghanistan and arrived in 2016.

The arrival of asylum seekers is the focus of a heated political debate in Britain on how to control illegal migration. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made tackling the issue a key pledge ahead of an election expected later in 2024.

Some lawmakers in Mr Sunak’s Conservative Party said the case underscored the need for the government’s plan to send refugees to Rwanda, which is currently being blocked by the courts.

Mr David Johnston, the children’s minister, said: “It’s vital that we end the asylum merry-go-round.”

Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick urged the government to conduct a “detailed review” of how Ezedi was allowed to remain in Britain.

Police said it was reported that Ezedi had thrown a child to the ground and that the chemical used in the attack was alkaline.

His last confirmed sighting was at a supermarket on a busy thoroughfare of north London, where he was believed to have purchased a bottle of water.

An image from the store released by police showed Ezedi with what appeared to be injuries to the right side of his face. REUTERS