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MP Critical After Vehicle Attack: Suspect Identified
20 Oct
Summary
- Independent MP Helen Haines critically injured after vehicle assault.
- Suspect Brendan Nugent, known to the MP's family, is in custody.
- Nugent has a background in forestry campaigning and environmental activism.
Independent Member of Parliament Helen Haines is in critical condition following a vehicle attack outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, northeast Victoria. A 43-year-old man, identified by media as Brendan Nugent, has been taken into custody in connection with the incident. Nugent, who reportedly had a history of friendship with Haines' family spanning over two decades, is expected to appear in Wangaratta Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
Haines, who has represented Indi since 2019, suffered severe injuries, including the loss of one leg, with doctors working to save the other. Nugent, a former forestry campaigner with a master's degree in forest ecosystems science from the University of Melbourne, was previously involved with the anti-logging group Save Our Strathbogie Forest.
Recent social media activity indicates Nugent had followed Haines and, in 2019, described her as a politician who takes climate change seriously. However, counterterrorism experts suggest his views may have become more conspiratorial over time. His parents described the attack as "unfathomable" and extended their sincere thanks to the community and police.
