The man who went on a stabbing rampage in Melbourne's Bourke Street in 2018 was not considered a serious threat because he liked to smoke cannabis and drink alcohol in defiance of radical Islam, an inquest has heard.
A counter-terror operative told Victoria's Coroner that in the lead-up to Hassan Khalif Shire Ali's bloody attack, his behaviour was "more consistent with an active criminal".
"Shire Ali's involvement with Victoria Police indicated a propensity to use or possess or seek to possess illicit drugs," said the Victoria Police Security Intelligence Unit operative, who cannot be named.
"He was not maintaining an ideology consistent with extremist ideology.
"His use of cannabis suggested that he did not adhere to a strict interpretation of Islam."
The coroner is investigating whether Shire Ali's attack was terrorism, what key security agencies knew and whether it could have been prevented.
The rampage was only stopped after police shot Shire Ali in the moments after he fatally stabbed Melbourne restaurateur Sisto Malaspina.
The inquest heard that an entry recorded in Victoria Police's intelligence database noted the risk of Shire Ali engaging in a terrorist attack was probably overemphasised.
It also noted that the risk was mitigated because Shire Ali's passport had been cancelled when he was stopped at the airport trying to travel overseas with Islamic State material on his phone.
Drug use deemed inconsistent with extremism
The inquest heard that at one point, when Shire Ali was stopped by police, he was found with what appeared to be cannabis and a sheaf of papers that referenced slaughtering infidels.
"Is it not possible to engage in drug use and hold an extremist ideology?" asked Catherine Fitzgerald, the lawyer assisting the inquest.
"It's possible," the operative said.
"But in your assessment the two were inconsistent, is that correct?" Ms Fitzgerald asked.
"That's correct."
The inquest heard that Shire Ali had previously admitted he was "struggling" with his faith and had fallen in with the wrong crowd, where he became addicted to ice.
Grace Morgan, who is representing the killer's family, asked the operative whether criminal offending was connected with drug use.
"Absolutely," he said.
"Does criminal offending often have a nexus with psychological difficulty?" Ms Morgan asked.
"Yes," he said.
The inquest continues.
