Anti-Israel activist is charged with driving 4x4 into Australian MP, causing her to lose a leg - as his family reveal she had been a friend of theirs for 20 years

An anti-Israel activist has been charged with driving a 4x4 into an Australian MP, causing her to lose a leg. 

Eco-warrior Brendan Nugent allegedly ploughed into centrist independent politician Helen Haines, when she was taking  belongings from the boot of her car outside her office in the city of Wangaratta, Victoria, on Monday. 

Ms Haines, 65, remains in hospital where she is fighting for her life after she suffered severe lower-body injuries in the attack on Murphy Street when she was allegedly repeatedly struck. 

The suspect has been charged with intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official. He will appear in court on Wednesday. 

Nugent, from nearby Tarrawingee, is accused of ramming into Ms Haines, a mother-of-three and grandmother, with a white Toyota Land Cruiser multiple times. 

It has been reported that medics have had to amputate the victim's leg as surgeons try to save her second leg due to the severity of her injuries. 

The incident is an apparent escalation in political violence that has shocked Australia, prompting politicians from across the spectrum to condemn the allegedly 'deliberate' attack at around 3.30pm local time on Monday. 

According to local reports, the suspect's parents have been friends with Ms Haines, the MP for Indi, in the state of Victoria, for more than 20 years. 

Nugent's family have released a statement declaring they will help police in investigating the attack on Ms Haines.

The suspect's father, Rod Nugent, and Rod's partner, Christine Cunningham, said Haines had been their friend for more than 20 years.

They said: 'What happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable.

'We would like to sincerely thank members of the local community and police who came to Helen's aid yesterday after the shocking and horrific crime. We will be assisting Victoria Police in any way we can.

'Helen Haines is a deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community.'

A photo posted to Haines' social media showed her smiling alongside Nugent's stepmother in April 2025.

Nugent was reportedly apprehended behind the wheel of the LandCruiser by local barber Ricky Jefferies, who says the driver had a knife, before police arrived to detain him. 

The suspect has been in police custody since shortly after Ms Haines was struck down and a crowd of bystanders subdued him.  

Nugent will appear in a Wangaratta court on Wednesday, when he could potentially be released on bail.

The incident shocked Australians as political violence is rare here and politicians have always been accessible to the public. 

Most lawmakers are not accompanied by security officers and go about their work and personal lives on their own.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said he phoned local barber Ricky Jefferies, who had run from his store to help members of the public detain the suspect, to thank him on Tuesday for intervening.

Mr Albanese said: 'It's a reminder that at the worst of times, we see the best of the Australian character.'

The PM praised Mr Jefferies, describing him as a hero whose intervention may have prevented further injuries.

Mr Albanese said: 'It's got to be said here that at this dark and terrible time, an element of light is the fact that a Good Samaritan, someone rushed to Helen's defence in Wangaratta … and that person is a hero today.

'He deserves enormous praise and thanks for his intervention, which could have prevented even more further infliction of damage, which was aimed at Helen.'

Mr Jefferies earlier told reporters he searched the driver's pockets and removed a knife and police later confirmed a knife had been found. 

The barber said: 'It was crazy. A lot of people got involved immediately and they didn't even check for danger. They just ran to help.'

Ms Haines is widely known in Canberra and nationally as a strong voice for integrity and honesty in politics.

She played a key role in establishing the National Anti-Corruption Commission and has been a prominent advocate for rural issues, especially healthcare.

Ms Haines's family released a statement, asking Australians to think of her.

They said: 'We thank the swift assistance of bystanders and the dedicated health workers who assisted her, and police for their response.

'Our family, and Helen's staff, will be making no further comment at this time, and ask that their privacy be respected by the public and media. Please keep Helen in your thoughts.' 

Ms Haines's family said they are grateful for the 'swift assistance of bystanders' as well as medics and police.

The MP, who was first elected to Parliament in 2019 and had been reelected twice since, was initially taken to a hospital in Wangaratta, a city of 30,000 people. 

She was airlifted later to a hospital in the state capital, Melbourne, 236km (147 miles) from the scene.

The Alfred Hospital didn't respond Tuesday to a request for comment on media reports that Haines had had a leg amputated.

The injured lawmaker was not considered controversial or polarising. Ms Haines, the daughter of dairy farmers and mother of three was a nurse, midwife and academic before entering politics, and advocated for rural health matters. 

She was initially elected in 2019 with a campaign focused on health equity, rural prosperity and climate action.

Mr Albanese said witnesses had reported that the suspect passed Haines in his SUV as she stood by the trunk of her parked car. 

The SUV then turned and came back before the driver allegedly drove into the politician, the prime minister said.

Home affairs minister Tony Burke told ABC that the driver allegedly reversed and struck Haines a second time, pinning her against her car, after initially hitting her.

One of the bystanders who came to Haines's assistance, Cody Lepoidevin, told reporters he thought he was witnessing a hit-and-run when the SUV backed away after she was first struck.

But instead of fleeing the scene, Mr Lepoidevin said the driver 'then reversed and drove back into her.'

Recent data has shown that threats of political violence have grown in Australia. 

The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation spy agency, Mike Burgess, on Tuesday reiterated an earlier warning that politically motivated violence was a top security concern, along with espionage and foreign interference.

Police reported in 2025 that threats against parliamentarians had doubled over the past three years. 

Official data showed more than 1,000 such threats against politicians in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Lawmakers from across the political spectrum and Albanese spoke to media outlets Tuesday, urging their colleagues, reporters and the public to turn down the heat in increasingly fractious political debates. 

Many also said they hoped Australia's easygoing culture of approachable politicians wouldn't change.