Summary
Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines has lost a leg and remains in critical condition after a man deliberately rammed her with an SUV outside …
Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines has lost a leg and remains in critical condition after a man deliberately rammed her with an SUV outside her office, in an attack being investigated by counter-terrorism police, Reuters reported.
The attack happened at about 3:30 p.m. on Monday in Wangaratta, a rural city roughly 200 kilometers northeast of Melbourne. Haines, 65, who has represented the federal seat of Indi for seven years, was standing at the rear of her car taking items out of the trunk when a Toyota Land Cruiser drove down the main street, made a U-turn and struck her. Witnesses said the driver then reversed and hit her a second time, pinning her between vehicles.
A local barber, Ricky Jefferies, ran from his shop, restrained the driver and removed a knife from him before police arrived. Jefferies has been praised as a hero, though he deflected the credit to others at the scene.
Haines underwent surgery overnight at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. Australian media reported that one of her legs was so badly damaged it had to be amputated, and that doctors were working to save the other.
The driver, a 43-year-old man from nearby Tarrawingee identified by local media as Brendan Nugent, has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and the Commonwealth offense of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment. He is due to face court on Wednesday. In a striking detail, the suspect's father said Haines had been a friend of the family for more than 20 years, calling what happened "devastating and unfathomable."
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said that "at this stage it appears this is an isolated incident," with no known further threats. The motive remains unknown, and counter-terrorism authorities are among the multiple agencies involved in the investigation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack and linked it to the tone of public life. "It's clear that there was a deliberate act here. This wasn't an accident, someone just skidding off the road," he told ABC News. Political violence is rare in Australia, but officials have noted a steady rise in threats and abusive behavior directed at elected representatives — a climate the prime minister suggested formed the backdrop to the attack.
Haines, a former midwife and public health researcher first elected in 2019, built her national profile campaigning for a federal anti-corruption commission and for better health services in rural communities. Messages of support for her arrived from across the political spectrum on Tuesday, and her office said her family had asked for privacy while she remains in intensive care.
Source: Reuters
