Australian MP Helen Haines remains critical after a car struck her in Wangaratta. A 43-year-old man was arrested.
Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines remained in critical condition on Tuesday after being struck by a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria state, in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called a deliberate act.
Haines, 65, who represents the electorate of Indi, was hit by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV mid-afternoon Monday. She was airlifted to hospital and underwent surgery overnight, Albanese said. ABC Australia reported that she lost a leg. Wangaratta is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) northeast of Melbourne.
Victoria Police arrested a 43-year-old man, who was expected to be interviewed Tuesday morning. Police said a knife was found inside the SUV and seized, and they are treating the incident as isolated. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said witnesses reported the driver reversed and struck Haines a second time before a bystander removed him from the vehicle. Albanese said early investigations suggest the car made a U-turn before hitting her. He said it was too early to determine a motive. A national counterterrorism team, including police and intelligence agencies, is investigating.
Albanese said it was not an accident and said it was truly shocking. He said the political temperature has risen in recent times and urged Australians to turn it down. Haines was first elected to Parliament in 2019 after working as a nurse and midwife, Al Jazeera reported.
Information for this report was provided by Reuters via CBC News, NPR, Al Jazeera and ABC Australia.