This is the moment a ‘calm and confident’ Uber driver’s body language turns ‘ferocious and angry’ after he realises he’s been caught out by police for plotting a gun and knife rampage at busy London tourist sites.
Mohiussunnath Chowdhury planned to target popular attractions, including Madame Tussauds, the Pride parade and an open-top sightseeing bus, using a gun, knife and van, last year, before being jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years.
The 29-year-old former Uber driver from Luton, who was said to be driven by ‘dreams of martyrdom’, was arrested three days before the Pride parade in summer 2019 after he unknowingly revealed his jihadist plans to undercover police officers.
Chowdhury bragged to them about shaving his beard off and deceiving a jury which cleared him of a sword attack on police outside Buckingham Palace at a previous trial at the Old Bailey in December 2018.
And now experts on Quest Red’s Faking It: Tears of a Crime say Chowdhury, also known as Musa, unwittingly exposed his guilt with a ‘five second leg shake’ and ‘rapid blinking’ as he finally realised he’d been caught during a police interview.
The criminal was also seen becoming increasingly angry, with his body language giving away his frustration – including glares, clenched fists and clamped lips, according to experts.
Scroll down for video
This is the moment a ‘calm and confident’ Uber driver’s body language (pictured) turns ‘ferocious and angry’ after he realises he’s been caught out by police for plotting a gun and knife rampage at busy London tourist sites
Mohiussunnath Chowdhury (pictured) planned to target popular attractions, including Madame Tussauds, the Pride parade and an open-top sightseeing bus, using a gun, knife and van, last year and was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years
The 29-year-old former Uber driver (pictured) from Luton, who was said to be driven by ‘dreams of martyrdom’, was arrested three days before the Pride parade in summer 2019 after he unknowingly revealed his jihadist plans to undercover police officers
In his police interview, Chowdhury claimed innocence, insisting he was happy to help officers with their enquiries.
But without realising it, Chowdhury’s guilt was hidden in plain sight as well as his increasing frustration once he realised he was caught, according to a panel of British experts in psychology, body language and speech analyse.
In his first interview, Chowdhury is calm and confident in his answers, encouraging officers to ‘ask him anything’.
But during a second meeting a recording of him explaining his plans for future attacks and how he lied in his previous trial is played back to him from undercover officers.
From here, Chowdhury’s behaviour appears to change completely, becoming more withdrawn. ‘At this point, Chowdhury knows that he’s busted, the game is up so he starts to shut down’, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes notes.
Examining the footage, body language expert Cliff Lansley pinpoints a cluster of unconscious behaviours – a five second leg shake, rapid blinking and a glare of anger – that suggest Chowdhury’s growing anxiousness.
Chowdhury (pictured during his police interview) bragged to them about shaving his beard off and deceiving a jury which cleared him of a sword attack on police outside Buckingham Palace at a previous trial at the Old Bailey in December 2018
And now experts on Quest Red’s Faking It: Tears of a Crime say Chowdhury (pictured), also known as Musa, unwittingly exposed his guilt with a ‘five second leg shake’ and ‘rapid blinking’ as he finally realised he’d been caught during a police interview
‘Although he seems calm on the surface, we can see a vibration from the legs which, when you count that, there’s about four or five movements per second. It’s the result of stress that’s caused by anxiety.’ Cliff explains.
‘When you combine that with the rapid blink rates – about four or five times in a short period of time – this shows that he’s experiencing cognitive load; he’s thinking hard.’
Chowdhury’s body language suggests anger, particularly at being caught red handed by the police, Cliff suggests.
‘As you look here, the brows are down, you’ve got a glare from the eyes, you can see the lips have started to clamp. You can almost the feel the ferocity, the anger that must be inside him here,’ he says.
Examining the footage, body language expert Cliff Lansley (pictured) pinpoints a cluster of unconscious behaviours – a five second leg shake, rapid blinking and a glare of anger – that suggest Chowdhury’s growing anxiousness
‘He’s clamping his fist you can see the knuckles coming through. This anger is probably directed at himself. He’s been outwitted by the police.’
Even Chowdhury’s voice seemingly signals his guilt, as professor of linguistics Dawn Archer notes. ‘The volume being down and everything about him tells us that he’s not alright. He knows he’s been caught.’
The brand-new series of Faking It: Tears of a Crime airs at 10pm on Saturdays exclusively on Quest Red and available on dplay