Life had gone very badly for Raghe Abdi before the "absolutely radicalised" 22-year-old was shot dead by police on a busy Queensland highway, an inquest has heard.
However, terrorism expert Levi West believes nothing more could have been done to avoid the fatal confrontation on December 17, 2020.
After an elderly couple was fatally stabbed, Abdi walked on to the Logan Motorway before advancing on two officers with a knife yelling "Allahu Akbar".
It was later described as a terrorism event.
Investigations suggested Abdi killed Maurice and Zoe Antill - both in their late 80s - at their home south of Brisbane before he was shot the next morning.
Mr West told an inquest into the deaths there was little doubt Abdi held extreme jihadist beliefs, with the 22-year-old telling family and friends he supported terrorist group Islamic State.
"My assessment was that he was absolutely radicalised," he told coroner Stephanie Gallagher on Thursday.
At the time Abdi was being monitored by the counter-terrorism team.
He was on bail with an ankle monitor amid an investigation into whether he was preparing to be involved in a foreign incursion after being intercepted trying to leave Brisbane for Somalia in 2019.
Mr West said there was a high likelihood Abdi was partly motivated by extremist jihadist ideology when he engaged with police.
CCTV footage showed Abdi walking along the Logan Motorway for almost an hour, at one stage appearing to turn down assistance from a passing motorist before officers arrive.
Abdi had left home the previous day after an argument with family, removing his tracking monitor.
Mr West said there was a reasonable possibility that Abdi's motivation "in part" was seeking a fatal confrontation with police on the highway.
"At this stage of his trajectory, life has gone very, very, very badly and it had been going badly for some period of time," said Mr West, Charles Sturt University terrorism studies director and national security consultant.
"As it culminates his option based on his faith is not suicide, it is not permitted.
"But if you can engage law enforcement in a scenario where it's likely that you are going to die then that gets you out of the suicide dilemma."
However, Mr West said he found no evidence to suggest that the Antills' deaths were motivated by extreme jihadist ideology.
"In fact I found very little evidence to understand how exactly that circumstance came about," he said.
"I don't think the counter terrorism unit could have done anything at all in regards to that because I don't think that was ideologically motivated - it was opportunistic at best."
Under cross-examination Mr West said it was feasible that Abdi's alleged conduct at the Antills' house was consistent with instruction from Islamic State propaganda "in the broadest sense".
Police have alleged at the inquest that Abdi assaulted the Antills before going into their house, grabbing a knife and fatally stabbing them in their backyard.
Mr West said the full spectrum of counter-terrorism measures were used by relevant authorities to assist Abdi before the shooting.
He said Abdi's death was tragic but not the result of policy or operational failures.
Asked if he could think of anything that could have avoided the December 17 situation, Mr West said: "Not really ...I couldn't really identify anything.
"He seemed determined, regardless, that he was going to go down a particular path."
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