‘Deliberate’ car ramming of Australian MP an isolated incident, police say

A 43-year-old man accused of deliberately hitting Helen Haines outside her office remains in police custody.The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have said the alleged targeting of independent lawmaker Helen Haines appeared to be an “isolated incident” and there were no known further threats associated with the attack.Haines was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV outside her office in Wangaratta, about 200km (124 miles) northwest of the state of Victoria’s capital, Melbourne, on Monday, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called a “deliberate” act.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Flight from Israel makes emergency landing in Bulgaria after bomb threatlist 2 of 3Police investigating Flydubai co-pilot’s Australia tieslist 3 of 3Melbourne man ‘strongly rejects’ links to flydubai attack suspectend of listThe 65-year-old underwent surgery overnight, with Australian media outlets reporting on Tuesday that she has lost a leg and remains in critical condition in a Melbourne hospital.The suspect is in police custody, an AFP statement released on Tuesday said. Local media identified the driver as a 43-year-old man from Tarrawingee, Victoria.Federal and state police were working “to identify potential charges”, including “the offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment”, the statement said.The prime minister said on Tuesday that the vehicle had performed a U-turn before hitting the MP.“It’s clear that there was a deliberate act here. This wasn’t an accident, someone just skidding off the road,” Albanese ⁠told the ABC national broadcaster.The prime minister said the alleged attacker’s motive remained unknown.Police arrive at Alfred Hospital, where Australian politician Helen Haines is being treated, in Melbourne on October 20, 2026 [Martin Keep/AFP]Bystander intervenedA former nurse, Haines is an independent federal MP for the Victorian seat of Indi and is known for her socially conscious policy positions on the environment and transparency.