Years later his son Raghe Mohamed Abdi was shot dead by police on a highway south of Brisbane in what was described as a "terrorism event".
Investigations suggested Abdi killed elderly couple Maurice and Zoe Antill at their home before he was shot the next morning on the Logan Motorway wielding a knife and yelling "Allahu Akbar".
His father on Tuesday told an inquest into their December 2020 deaths that he did not know why his son "chose this path".
He told coroner Stephanie Gallagher that terrorism was one of the reasons why he had left Somalia.
"I came here to Australia as an asylum seeker. I sought protection because I was fleeing persecution," he said.
"One of the reasons I left Somalia was as an aid worker I was attacked by a terrorist.
"The person who attacked me tried to blow me up believing that I was preaching Christianity - I am a devoted Muslim."
When he arrived in Australia as a young man, Mr Abdi said he was determined to "live my life, raise a new family, work hard and commit to obey the law".
"And that is how I wanted to raise my son and my children," he said.
He worked two jobs to pay the bills and send his son Abdi to private school.
"I wanted him to be a good person," Mr Abdi said.
Before the shooting, his son was being monitored by the Queensland joint counter-terrorism team after being released on bail for offences relating to an investigation into whether he was preparing to be involved in a foreign incursion.
Mr Abdi said he did not know what led his son to the fateful showdown with officers but noted a "pattern of change" in the lead-up.
"I can only conclude that there was a lot of complex issues that he was dealing with which include ... elements of mental health," he said.
More than two years after his son's death, Mr Abdi said his family was still devastated.
"It is actually a really slow death," he said when asked how the shooting had affected them.
"Because every morning when I wake up, I wake up with anxiety - my children are going through PTSD."
Mr Abdi also acknowledged the Antills' deaths as their family looked on at Brisbane's Coroners Court.
"I am not saying that Raghe killed but my sympathy goes to them because that was a tragic death and they deserve to live another life with their family," he said.
Detective Inspector Chris Knight on Monday told the inquest that he believed the Antills were killed in a random attack by Abdi.
Abdi's fingerprints and clothing were found at the Antills' residence and he was in possession of the elderly couple's car keys.
The clothing Abdi was wearing when he was shot was likely from the Antills' house, Det Insp Knight said.
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