‘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.

Independent member for Indi Helen Haines speaks to journalists in the Press Gallery at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on September 8, 2026 [Mick Tsikas/Reuters]

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.

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The 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 intervened

A 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.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told ABC Radio that witnesses said Haines was struck twice by the vehicle before a bystander intervened.

Ricky Jefferies ran from his barber shop, restrained the attacker and removed a knife from him after initially believing the incident was a car accident, Australian media reported.

“I heard a loud bang with no brakes. It was crazy; I just ran out to the ⁠front to see what’s happening,” Jefferies told reporters outside his shop.

“I didn’t realise the seriousness of ⁠the situation initially, and once it became relevant, I just did what I could and what others were already trying to do.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was shocked by the “deeply disturbing attack” and wished Haines a full recovery in a post on X.

The attack comes after the federal police documented a steady rise in threats and abuse directed towards the nation’s politicians in recent years. Politicians have historically been highly accessible to the public and usually go about their business without security.

Albanese said on Monday that “the temperature has increased in recent times”.

Haines entered parliament in 2019 after working as a nurse and midwife, becoming known for stances such as supporting stronger climate action.

She has been praised for her efforts to increase transparency in politics and crack down on corruption.

一名43岁男子被控在海伦·海恩斯办公室外故意殴打她，目前仍被警方拘留。

2026年9月8日，印度独立议员海伦·海恩斯在澳大利亚堪培拉国会大厦新闻发布厅向记者发表讲话。[米克·齐卡斯/路透社]

澳大利亚联邦警察 (AFP) 表示，针对独立议员海伦·海恩斯的袭击似乎是一起“孤立事件”，目前没有已知的与该袭击相关的进一步威胁。

周一，海恩斯在位于维多利亚州首府墨尔本西北约 200 公里（124 英里）的旺加拉塔的办公室外被一辆丰田陆地巡洋舰 SUV 撞倒。总理安东尼·阿尔巴尼斯称这是一起“蓄意”行为。

列表 1/3：以色列航班因炸弹威胁在保加利亚紧急降落

警方正在调查迪拜航空副驾驶与澳大利亚的关系（共3条，此为第2条）。

墨尔本男子强烈否认与迪拜航空袭击嫌疑人有任何关联（名单共3人，此为第3人）。

这位 65 岁的老人连夜接受了手术，澳大利亚媒体周二报道称，她失去了一条腿，目前仍在墨尔本一家医院接受治疗，情况危急。

澳大利亚联邦警察周二发表声明称，嫌疑人已被警方拘留。当地媒体确认肇事司机是一名来自维多利亚州塔拉温吉的43岁男子。

声明称，联邦和州警察正在努力“确定可能的指控”，包括“对联邦公职人员造成伤害的罪行，该罪行最高可判处 10 年监禁”。

总理周二表示，这辆车在撞到议员之前曾掉头。

“很明显，这是一起蓄意行为。这不是意外，不是有人开车滑出路面，”阿尔巴尼斯告诉澳大利亚广播公司（ABC）。

总理表示，袭击者的作案动机仍然不明。

2026年10月20日，警方抵达墨尔本阿尔弗雷德医院，澳大利亚政治家海伦·海恩斯正在该医院接受治疗。[Martin Keep/AFP]

旁观者介入

海恩斯曾是一名护士，她是维多利亚州印第选区的独立联邦议员，以其在环境和透明度方面具有社会意识的政策立场而闻名。

内政部长托尼·伯克告诉澳大利亚广播公司电台，目击者称，海恩斯被车辆撞了两次，之后一名旁观者出手相救。

据澳大利亚媒体报道，瑞奇·杰弗里斯从他的理发店跑出来，制服了袭击者，并从他身上夺下了一把刀。起初，他以为这是一起车祸。

“我听到一声巨响，刹车失灵了。太疯狂了；我赶紧跑到前面去看发生了什么事，”杰弗里斯在他的店外告诉记者。

“我一开始并没有意识到情况的严重性，一旦情况变得重要起来，我就尽我所能，做其他人已经在做的事情。”

外交部长黄英贤在X上发帖表示，她对这起“令人深感不安的袭击”感到震惊，并祝愿海恩斯早日康复。

此次袭击发生之前，联邦警察记录显示，近年来针对美国政界人士的威胁和辱骂事件持续上升。政界人士历来与公众保持着高度的密切联系，而且通常不配备安保人员。

阿尔巴尼斯周一表示，“近来气温有所上升”。

海恩斯曾是一名护士和助产士，2019 年进入议会，她因支持采取更强有力的气候行动等立场而闻名。

她因努力提高政治透明度和打击腐败而受到赞扬。