An Islamic State sympathiser who mowed down pedestrians in Melbourne’s Flinders Street, killing an elderly grandfather, said he “did it in the name of Allah”, a court has been told.

Saeed Noori drove his mother’s SUV into 16 pedestrians outside Flinders Street Station on December 21, 2017.

He was arrested by off-duty police officer Francis Adams, who had just alighted a tram near the attack, while Noori said “Allah Akbar”.

One of his victims was 83-year-old Antonios “Anton” Crocaris, who later died from head injuries.

Noori later told homicide squad investigators a “voice within” told him to drive into pedestrians, a Supreme Court of Victoria pre-sentence plea hearing was told on Tuesday.

“I’m sorry for the people that I injured but I did it in the name of Allah,” he was quoted as saying, and: “I’ve been tortured by this government for about three-and-a-half years. They got me to a point that it was a voice within — within me ask me to do it.”

Noori, who had fasted for seven days before the attack, also condemned the Australian government and racists for oppressing Muslim people, repeatedly saying he believed that he and other Muslims were targeted by “bullies” at ASIO, the court was told.

He also said he was sympathetic to IS, but didn’t know any members and “I just support my religion.”

His computer and a USB stick were found to contain a number of images from terrorist attacks internationally, videos about IS and other material that an expert said showed he had a “degree of radicalisation”.

Noori has previously pleaded guilty to murder, 11 counts of recklessly causing serious injury and five of conduct endangering life.

Also on Tuesday, Mr Crocaris’ son Bill told the court that losing his “precious and irreplaceable father” and watching him take his last breaths was “heartbreaking and torturous”.

“Every day I wonder why he was killed in the senseless manner that he was,” he said.

The hearing continues.