Bourke Street attacker Hassan Khalif Shire Ali was dismissed as a serious danger by Victoria Police because he was a cannabis user and petty crook.
A profile of the man who killed beloved Melbourne identity Sisto Malaspina in a knife attack in November 2018 indicates his behaviour was consistent with that of an active criminal.
But the document from 12 months earlier indicated it appeared Shire Ali did not maintain a lifestyle consistent with his extremist Islamist ideology.
"Use of cannabis indicated he does not adhere to a strict interpretation of Islam," said the document, revealed at an inquest in Victoria's Coroner's Court on Tuesday.
An officer from Victoria's counter-terror Security Intelligence Unit said he believed Shire Ali was a low priority among the people being monitored.
He believed given Shire Ali's drug taking and criminal behaviour, the report "probably overemphasised" his harm or risk to the community.
The officer, who cannot identified, had referred Shire Ali for consideration in an early intervention program.
Another Victoria Police staffer who also cannot be identified, said he found Shire Ali was not suitable based on factors including his criminal background.
He had been found in possession of cannabis multiple times in 2010 and 2011 as well as in possession of 100 pairs of stolen sunglasses. Shire Ali also admitted drinking alcohol.
In 2017 he told a policewoman that a few years earlier he had been involved in the wrong crowd, addicted to ice and that's what caused him to commit a burglary at a pharmacy, stealing the sunglasses.
The inquest heard Shire Ali told the officer he had an uncle who was an imam, but declined to say anything more about his faith other than that he was "struggling with it".
State Coroner John Cain is considering a number of factors in the inquest, including whether Shire Ali was radicalised and if the attack was terrorism.
He will also examine whether Shire Ali had any mental illness or personality disorder at the time of the attack.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
