Later, he attended the London School of Economics to study applied mathematics, statistics, economics and social psychology, but dropped out during his first year. "The Guardian" reported that a fellow student of Sheikh's at both the Forest School and the LSE, Syed Ali Hasan, had described him in 2002 as "bright but rather dysfunctional" and said that he had been suspended from school on several occasions because of his violent behavior. He was known for his violence since his childhood, having punched and thrown to the floor a teacher when he was eight years old, and growing up to be a bully. Becoming an adult, a "burly-chested six feet two inches" as per journalist Robert Sam Anson, he would eventually translate this violence into a love for martial arts and sports, participating in the 1992 World Armwrestling Championship in Geneva, while also being a chess champion during his days at the LSE. Noted for his academic abilities, he's also a polyglot who could speak five languages. "The Guardian" reported that Sheikh came into contact with radical Islamists at the LSE, quoting Hasan as saying " told us he was going to Bosnia driving aid convoys, and he never came back to university".