A plain-clothes police officer has described how two alleged killers slipped away after changing clothes in a mosque to evade capture.
Kamal Hussain, 22, and Yosef Ahmed, 18, are accused over the fatal stabbing of 25-year-old Zahir Visiter in north-west London in the early evening of March 28.
As descriptions were circulated, two plain-clothes officers pursued the suspects as they crossed a bridge over the canal near the Lisson Green estate, the Old Bailey heard.
The suspects took refuge in the London Central Mosque in Regent's Park, where they allegedly discarded hoodies and other distinctive items that they knew would identify them.
They were spoken to by police as the mosque was stormed by officers, but were let go because their descriptions did not match, the court was told.
Jurors were shown CCTV footage which allegedly showed the defendants entering the mosque.
One of them was seen to be sent out to remove his shoes, before they changed their appearance.
Pc Thomas Warburton was on duty with a colleague when he received a call about two suspects.
He told jurors that they spotted two males in jogging bottoms as they crossed a bridge over a towpath and decided to follow them.
Pc Warburton said: "As we got on the bridge, they were almost down on the towpath. One of the males looked up at me and my colleague and they started running away. We chased after them along the towpath."
After Pc Warburton lost sight of the pair, he learned over the police radio that they had run into the mosque, and went to help contain the area, the court heard.
Prosecutor James Mulhollard QC said: "There is no dispute here because of the CCTV footage. You at one point spoke to an individual - Yosef Ahmed - and you are standing quite close to the courtyard area and he was with another man."
The officer told jurors both were wearing T-shirts and jogging bottoms rolled up "to appear like shorts".
Mr Mulholland said: "Neither matched the appearance of the individuals you were seeking so they were not detained?"
Pc Warburton said: "No. That's correct."
The prosecutor went on: "Consequently, you saw the internal CCTV of the mosque and clothing that had been discarded. Did you go down and look at that clothing?"
Pc Warburton told jurors he looked at the clothes and was "certain" they were the same as those worn by the individuals he had seen on the bridge.
The defendants, from north-west London, who were arrested at a later date, have denied murder.
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