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London Bridge attack inquest: Steroids 'unlikely' to have affected behaviour London Bridge attacker 'like lion out of cage' with Anjem Choudary
(about 1 hour later)
The London Bridge attackers were unlikely to have become more aggressive as a result of taking steroids before the incident, an inquest has heard. The ringleader of the 2017 London Bridge terror attack was "like a lion out of a cage" when he was with convicted Islamic State supporter Anjem Choudary, an inquest has heard.
A drugs expert said the levels found in their bodies were not "particularly high" and were "highly unlikely" to have had any behavioural effect. A friend said Khuram Butt, 27, became "energised" when meeting Choudary, who led the banned Al-Muhajiroun group.
Eight people were killed when Khuram Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, drove a van into pedestrians and stabbed others. In 2015 a relative reported Butt to an anti-terrorist hotline, a court heard.
Police then shot and killed the men. Eight people were killed in the terror attack he carried out with Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22.
The attack - in which 48 others were also injured - lasted less than 10 minutes. The men mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge before launching a knife attack in nearby Borough Market, injuring 48 others.
Prof David Cowan, a pharmaceutical toxicologist, told the inquest at the Old Bailey it was "more likely than not" that the three attackers had taken DHEA, an anabolic steroid, at some point before they launched their attack. Police shot and killed the three attackers less than 10 minutes after the violence began.
But he rejected the suggestion they had been "juiced up" on steroids, making them more aggressive. The inquest at the Old Bailey heard how Butt turned from an "earnest and hard-working" schoolboy to an extremist who told a colleague the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in a 2013 terror attack was "an eye for an eye".
Evidence the attackers appeared "hyper" or "wild-eyed" did not necessarily indicate they were affected, Prof Cowan told the court. In his early 20s friends and colleagues said he was a "normal guy" who liked football and music and smoked cannabis.
A pre-inquest hearing in February heard the three men were all found to have had steroids in their systems when they died. However, around 2013, he began showing signs of extremism and two years later his family became concerned he wanted to travel to Syria.
Toxicology reports previously submitted to the court said the levels were "above the acceptable physiological range" and the substance had been taken "recently prior to death… in a period ranging from several hours to days". Butt had bought a ticket to travel and his family threatened to disown him and report him to the police, the inquest heard.
'Brought shame on the family'
In January 2016 Butt appeared in a Channel 4 documentary called the Jihadis Next Door, in which he was depicted as a willing participant who "condemned the UK government", particularly over its actions in Iraq and Syria.
The court heard Butt's relatives said he "brought shame on the family" in the programme and forced him to apologise.
In the summer of 2016, Butt had been employed by London Underground as a customer service assistant.
Background checks had not flagged up Butt's appearance in the documentary and he was subsequently sacked in October 2016.
Acting Det Ch Insp Wayne Jolley, who investigated his background, told the court his job had given Butt access to a London Underground station in a security capacity.
The 'shy' man who became a cold extremist
By Hanna Yusuf, BBC News, at the inquest
The already chilly courtroom seemed to feel colder as attendees watched a smiling and impassioned Butt describe the UK government as "extreme" and outline his grievances with British foreign policy in a clip from a Channel 4 documentary called Jihadi Next Door.
Christine Delcros, the fiancee of victim Xavier Thomas, watched the clip with her chin resting on her palm and listened intently to accounts from Butt's friends and family about his life as a self-declared "Londoner who knows his city and people".
All the details about Butt's journey to become the man who would kill Ms Delcros' fiancee appeared to overwhelm her.
She reclined and closed her eyes momentarily before continuing to fix her eyes on the evidence presented on the screens.
Butt was born in Pakistan but moved to the UK with his family aged eight on a visitor's visa. In 2004 he was given indefinite leave to remain.
He went to schools in Forest Gate and Stratford in east London, where he gained 11 GCSEs.
He married Zahrah Rehman in December 2013 and they went on to have two children, with his daughter born just a month before the terror attack.
Butt met fellow attacker Redouane after he began training at a fitness centre on Ilford Road. He befriended Zaghba through swimming sessions and the pair both volunteered at a primary school in east London.
Head teacher Sophie Rahman had asked Butt to give children Koran lessons some 18 months before he launched his attack, the inquest heard.
The school was closed and Rahman was later disciplined for engaging Butt, who had already shown signs of extremism in the 2016 documentary.
Earlier, the inquest heard that the three men were unlikely to have become more aggressive as a result of taking anabolic steroids before the London Bridge attack.
Prof David Cowan, a pharmaceutical toxicologist, said it was "more likely than not" that the three attackers had taken DHEA at some point before they launched their attack.
However he rejected the suggestion they had been "juiced up" on steroids and said the levels found in their bodies were not "particularly high" and were "highly unlikely" to have had any behavioural effect.
A pre-inquest hearing in February was also told the three men had steroids in their systems when they died.
Xavier Thomas, 45, Christine Archibald, 30, Sara Zelenak, 21, Sebastien Belanger, 36, James McMullan, 32, Kirsty Boden, 28, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39, were killed in the attack.Xavier Thomas, 45, Christine Archibald, 30, Sara Zelenak, 21, Sebastien Belanger, 36, James McMullan, 32, Kirsty Boden, 28, Alexandre Pigeard, 26, and Ignacio Echeverria, 39, were killed in the attack.
A forensic scientist confirmed that Mr Thomas had been hit by the attackers' hired Renault van before he fell into the Thames.
Mr Thomas and his fiancee, Christine Delcros, were walking over London Bridge on their way to have cocktails in the Shard, a nearby skyscraper, when the attackers' van mounted the pavement. Ms Delcros was also seriously injured.
Dr Louissa Marsh said examination of the van and Mr Thomas's jeans provided "strong support" for the proposition they were in contact.
An examination of particles in the van showed suspected driver Zaghba, 22, was closest to the deployment of the air bag but she was unable to prove he was behind the wheel from the forensic evidence alone.
The inquests continue.The inquests continue.