Initial police investigations into Friday’s Bourke Street terror attack show the offender, Hassan Khalif Shire Ali, failed to complete his proposed mission.

It has been categorised as a “low-skilled” attack because the offender was not able to access firearms or explosive devices.

As with similar attacks in Europe and Britain the terrorists access a truck or heavy commercial vehicle and use easily attained knives to create maximum fatalities.

Anti-terror police believe Shire Ali’s plan was to use his commercial utility to hit pedestrians, and possibly smash into a shop to kill those inside.