Many people sensed something wasn't right about Man Haron Monis, but one family was so concerned they called the national terrorist hotline four years before he held 18 people hostage in the Sydney siege.
They were told Monis presented no security concerns.
In 2008, Monis was introduced to the extended family of his new girlfriend as "Michael", a 39-year-old from Egypt.
A cousin of the girlfriend - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - told the inquest into the Sydney siege on Wednesday the family was suspicious of Monis.
It quickly became apparent her cousin was "madly in love" with Monis, she said, but the relationship made her uncomfortable from the beginning.
Monis was evasive and secretive, refusing to answer simple questions about his work, background or even if he had an Australian driver's licence.
He would not be photographed at the many family gatherings he attended with his girlfriend, to the point where he became the unofficial photographer at all events.
The woman told the inquest her fears worsened after she snapped a photo of Monis at a family barbecue in 2010.
Monis's girlfriend, who defended him and acted as "his mouthpiece", grabbed the camera and deleted the photo.
"When we left that day, we did ring the National Security Hotline to see if he was listed on there," the woman told the court.
"We all believed that there was something going on with this guy."
The woman's sister, who made the call, was told Monis "didn't meet the check list" for security concern because there were no external flights involved, the woman told the court.
"We didn't ring again," she said.
Also giving evidence on Wednesday was Hassan Ammar, a Sydney cab driver with an interest in human rights who encountered Monis in 1996.
Monis, who called himself "Borujerdi" - the name of an Iranian cleric - was dressed in a cleric's robes and had chained himself to the fence of the NSW parliament in what he said was a protest highlighting the plight of his family trapped in Iran.
Mr Ammar said he and a friend from Amnesty International went to speak to Monis about his situation.
Monis quickly forgot about his family and "started talking big" about secrets he held that could bring down the Iranian regime, Mr Ammar told the court.
Mr Ammar said he was sceptical and his suspicions were confirmed when the "cleric" tried to say a common Islamic prayer and got it wrong.
"After he made the mistake in those verses I didn't think he was a priest," Mr Ammar said.
Counsel assisting Jeremy Gormly SC asked Mr Ammar what his impression was of Monis.
"Pardon me, but full of ..." Mr Ammar replied.
"He was talking like he's the centre of the universe.
"I had nothing to do with him after that."
The inquest has now completed evidence in the first segment exploring Monis's background.
On Thursday lawyers for the NSW Department of Public Prosecutions will make submissions seeking to stop the inquest examining why Monis was on bail at the time of the December 2014 siege in central Sydney.
Monis was facing 43 charges of sexual assault and one charge of accessory to murder relating to the death of his wife.
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