An anti-Israel activist and a radical environmentalist has been identified as the man in custody accused of deliberately driving a Toyota LandCruiser into federal MP Helen Haines in a shocking attack outside her electorate office.
Brendan Nugent, 43, was arrested at the scene on Monday afternoon and taken into custody after Haines, 65, suffered severe lower-body injuries when she was struck by his vehicle multiple times.
The independent MP for Indi underwent emergency surgery in Melbourne overnight and remains in a critical condition amid fears she could lose one of her legs.
No charges had been laid as of Tuesday morning as counterterrorism authorities investigated the incident.
A social media account bearing his name includes posts about Israel's war in Gaza, as well as older posts about environmental issues such as logging.
Replying to Penny Wong on X after she shared a statement from the prime minister, the account called the two politicians a 'couple of US lap dogs'.
'Couple of US lap dogs. Maybe if you had warned israel about its attacks the world wouldn't be where it is right now,' the account wrote.
Haines, 65, is fighting for her life after undergoing emergency surgery in Melbourne overnight, amid fears she could lose one of her legs.
Driver Brendan Nugent, pictured, in police custody
Helen Haines remains in a critical condition after being struck by a car outside her electorate office. She was airlifted to Melbourne and underwent surgery overnight, amid fears she could lose a leg
The independent MP for Indi was retrieving belongings from the boot of her car, parked on Murphy St, when she was repeatedly struck.
Witnesses said the driver made a U-turn and smashed the vehicle into her.
'What witnesses have described is the driver doing a U-turn to get into the car park and to ram Helen against a vehicle, then to reverse and do it a second time,' Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
The mother-of-three and grandmother was pinned by the four-wheel-drive and suffered 'severe' lower-body injuries.
She was initially treated at a local hospital before being airlifted about 250km to Melbourne.
Nugent, from Tarrawingee, near Wangaratta, was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
No charges had been laid as of Tuesday morning, as counterterrorism authorities launched an investigation into the incident.
It comes as details emerge about the hero barber who dragged Nungent from his LandCruiser, kicked away a flick knife and pinned him to the ground, after he deliberately drove into Haines.
The hero barber shop owner who pulled a driver from his car and restrained him after a targeted attack on federal MP Helen Haines has been identified as a local father-of-three Ricky Jefferies
Jefferies was back at work the next day after confronting the man who attacked Helen Haines.
Ricky Jefferies rushed to help after the politician was targeted outside his Wangaratta barber shop, next door to Haines's electorate office, on Monday afternoon.
Mr Jefferies pulled Haines from the vehicle and wrestled him to the ground.
'It happened directly out the front of my shop,' he said. 'I pulled the man out of the white Landcruiser.'
Mr Jefferies then found a flick knife in the man's pocket, kicked it away and restrained him until police arrived.
'When I pulled him out from the vehicle I searched him and found a knife in his pocket.
'I had him sit on the ground and police got there within minutes.'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Mr Jefferies on Tuesday, describing him as a hero whose intervention may have prevented further injuries.
'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,' Albanese told Nine.
Haines was struck by the Land Cruiser while unloading her car boot in a deliberate attack
She was struck twice by the driver of the vehicle
Anthony Albanese said there had been a concerning rise in people threatening politicians
'And I just think that he deserves enormous praise and thanks for his intervention, which could have prevented even more further infliction of damage, which was aimed at Helen.'
Albanese said it was clear that it was a deliberate attack.
'It would appear that the driver of the vehicle that inflicted the damage to Helen Haines did a u-turn in order to get back to where Helen Haines was after after passing where she was getting things from the boot or putting things into the boot of her car.
'So it's it's clear that there was a deliberate act here. This wasn't an accident, someone just skidding off the road here.'
Albanese said the motive for the deliberate attack remained unclear, but said there had been a significant increase in the number of people charged with threatening politicians.
'It's important in a democracy that people are allowed to have disagreements. But that doesn't mean that you have to draw into question people's motivations or their patriotism or who they are,' Albanese said.
'We've seen, I think, political discourse go in the wrong direction in recent times and I want us to acknowledge in the way that politics is conducted.'
Haines is widely known in Canberra and nationally as a strong voice for integrity and honesty in politics.
Helen Haines and husband Phil
A man wore a 'this is not us' shirt following the attack on Helen Haines
Another shared a heartwarming note at the door of the politicians office - along with a bunch of flowers
She played a key role in establishing the National Anti-Corruption Commission and has been a prominent advocate for rural issues, especially healthcare.
Her other priorities have included stronger climate action, cheaper home batteries and regional housing.
She has urged Australia to impose sanctions on Israel and put greater pressure on the Netanyahu government to end the conflict, while calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and urgent humanitarian aid.
She worked as a nurse, midwife and rural health researcher before entering politics.
Haines' family released a statement, asking Australians to think of Helen.
'We thank the swift assistance of bystanders and the dedicated health workers who assisted her, and police for their response,' Haines' family said.
'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.'
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Key Updates
Alleged driver identified
The man who allegedly struck MP Helen Haines has been identified as Brendan Nugent.
The 43-year-old Tarrawingee man was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
Nugent spent the night in a police cell and will undergo a mental health assessment before he is formally interviewed by detectives.
'That will occur today, and that will occur whilst the investigation continues and we further examine and analyse all available evidence,' Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason told News 24.
No charges have yet been laid.
Supt Mason confirmed that the suspect was known to police but had not been on on the radar of law enforcement agencies recently.
He added there was no record of the vehicle which allegedly struck Haines as being stolen, adding that it was too early for police to have ascertained Nugent's political leanings, or any potential motivation for the alleged attack.
'The focus of the investigation will be to determine, why and how this occurred and whether it was an intentional or deliberate act,' Supt Mason said.
'There has been accounts that a U-turn (happened).'
According to sources, Nugent has a history of activism in the area who then strayed into 'darker' things.
Hero bystander breaks silence
The humble Good Samaritan barber shop owner who dragged the man accused of deliberately running down MP Helen Haines from his LandCruiser, kicked away a flick knife, and pinned him to the ground has spoken publicly for the first time.
Father-of-three Ricky Jefferies was back at work at RickyChops Barbershop in Wangaratta at 7am Tuesday, just hours after his extraordinary act of bravery.
But he does not regard himself as a hero.
'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,' Mr Jefferies told reporters.
'I basically asked him to jump out of the car and got him out of the car.
'I had him sit on the ground and police got there within minutes.
' I don't think I'm a hero. I was just a person who had an opportunity to intervene in a safe-ish sort of way.'
Mr Jefferies is devastated about the reasons why his beloved town is in the headlines.
'It's very disappointing,' he said.
'It's a beautiful town with beautiful people, and it's sad that this is what brought everyone here.
'There's plenty of other reasons for you guys to be here filming. It's a wonderful town full of wonderful people.'
His barber shop is next door to Haines' electoral office.
'She's a genuine member of the community,' Mr Jefferies added.
'She does hold a role of significance, but she still is a local person.
'She shops here, she gets a coffee here, she pops her head in.'
Tributes placed outside Helen Haines' office
Shocked Wangaratta locals have placed flowers and handwritten notes outside the electorate office of MP Helen Haines near where she was allegedly struck by a car on Monday afternoon.
The independent MP remains in a critical condition after she was airlifted to Melbourne to undergo emergency surgery.
Schoolchildren were among those to add to the growing shrine outside her office on Tuesday.
Driver rammed Helen Haines twice in alleged attack
New details have emerged of how a driver made a U-turn into a car park before he allegedly rammed Indi MP Helen Haines into another vehicle and then reversed to hit her a second time.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke (pictured below) described witnesses' accounts of the incident in a way that 'no one will want to hear'.
'Just so that people understand what happened at 3.30(pm) yesterday, what witnesses have described is the driver doing a U-turn to get into the car park and to ram Helen against a vehicle, then to reverse and do it a second time,' he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
'A bystander ran towards the scene, got the driver out of the vehicle, and held the driver until police arrived.'
Burke added 'no one would have thought' Haines would be among the MPs most at risk of a violent attack.
Heightened security a possibility at Victorian election
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll said security may be ramped up at the November state election following the alleged attack on Helen Haines.
'I think this act of violence is just unfathomable that it’s occurred in Australia and we’ve got to stand up, call it out, and make sure that this is a turning point,' he told ABC Radio.
'Politicians, like anyone else, go to work every day, like your local nurses, supermarket employees ... everyone expects to come home safely to their family, and that did not occur to one of the most beloved members of federal parliament yesterday.'
Helen Haines' final post before she was struck
Helen Haines presented the Australian flag to local schools hours before she was struck by a car in an alleged attack.
'Our national flags are powerful symbols of who we are as Australians - our history, our values and the country we’re proud to call home,' the MP posted on Monday.
'It’s been an honour to present flags to St Joseph’s Primary School in Benalla, local students undertaking Rotary exchanges, such as Lucy who is heading to Germany, and Kerribana Primary School in Baranduda.
'I hope these flags inspire pride in our country and conversations about what it means to be Australian.'
Who is Helen Haines
A mother-of-three and grandmother, Helen Haines, 65, has served as an independent MP for the Victorian seat of Indi since 2019.
She grew up on a dairy farm in near Colac in southwestern Victoria before she studied nursing.
Haines began her career in the mid 1980s as a midwife at Wangaratta Base Hospital and was later appointed Director of Nursing at Chiltern Bush Nursing Hospital.
Haines is also a former health researcher.
While running as an independent candidate for the 2019 federal election, Haines advocated for an increase to the Jobseeker payment and strong action on climate change, including a target of 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030.
She became the first independent in Australian history to succeed another independent in a federal seat when she won the seat of Indi, replacing retiring MP Cathy McGowan.
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.
She has also urged Australia to impose sanctions on Israel and put greater pressure on the Netanyahu government to end the conflict, while calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza and urgent humanitarian aid.
Haines is also a passionate advocate for healthcare and regional Australia.
'Regional Australia feed this country, power its economy and keeps us moving. So why are we $9.23billion behind on healthcare?' she posted last week.
'Our regions do their fair share for Australia. It’s time Australia did its fair share for our regions.
'We need fairer health funding and a national plan to deliver the services, workers and infrastructure regional communities deserve.'
Pauline Hanson condemns alleged attack
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has expressed sadness and horror after independent MP Helen Haines was struck by a car outside her electoral office in an alleged attack.
'My thoughts are with Helen, her family and her staff. I wish her a full and speedy recovery, and I know Australians everywhere are wishing the same,' the senator wrote on Monday night.
'Police are investigating, and we should let them do their work.
'Violence against any elected representative, whoever they are and whatever they stand for, is never acceptable in Australia.
'Members of parliament and their staff must be able to serve their communities without fearing for their safety.
'I thank the emergency services and the members of the public who rushed to help.'
What we know about the alleged attacker
The man who allegedly struck MP Helen Haines outside her electorate office has spent the night in custody at Wangaratta Police Station, where he will be interviewed by officers on Tuesday morning.
No charges have yet been laid.
'He has been held overnight whilst the crime scene has been forensically examined and investigators will endeavour to interview him this morning,' Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason told 774 ABC Melbourne.
He added Haines had been 'standing behind another vehicle that was parked when she was struck.
The alleged attacker was not known to police or law enforcement agencies before Monday afternoon.
'There’s certainly no recent intelligence that I’m aware of that put him on our radar, so to speak,' Supt Mason said.
Anyone who was in the vicinity of Murphy Street in Wangaratta about 3.35pm on Monday and may have witnessed the vehicles involved in the incident are urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
'If you have dashcam fitted to your motor vehicle, which may have captured the vehicles involved of this incident, to also make contact with police,' Supt Mason said.
'And if I could also say that at this stage, we are certainly treating this as an isolated incident, and there’s no intelligence that we are aware of to indicate that there is any further or ongoing threat to any individual or the broader community.'
New details emerge about hero bystander
The Good Samaritan bystander who leapt to MP Helen Haines' aid and pulled the driver from his car to perform a citizen's arrest has been identified as a local barber owner.
Father-of-three Ricky Jefferies leapt into action after witnessing the crash outside his Wangaratta barber shop next to the MP's office.
With no thought for his own safety, Mr Jefferies pulled the man from the driver's seat of the vehicle and wrestled him to the ground.
He found a flick knife in the man's pocket, which he kicked away and held the man down until police arrived.
'Richard overpowered him, searched him and found a knife in his pocket and threw it away. And then took him to the ground,' his sister Tanya told Sunrise.
'It's a terrifying incident and shocking and we're still kind of processing it, and I'm so scared of what could have happened.
'Ricky didn't end up being hurt, but it was such a serious incident.
He put himself in such danger along with everybody else who helped.'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Mr Jefferies on Tuesday morning.
'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,' Albanese told Nine’s Today show.
'And I just think that he deserves enormous praise and thanks for his intervention, which could have prevented even more further infliction of damage, which was aimed at Helen.'
Fellow local business owner Jessica Bear added: 'He’s such a selfless person, and it definitely needs to be known about his bravery.
'Ricky raced out when he thought that it was just a car accident, and he apprehended the man that was in the vehicle.'
Albo provides an update on Helen Haines
Helen Haines remains in a critical condition, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
'I spoke with her husband Phil last night, and she underwent surgery last night,' he told Sunrise on Tuesday morning.
'All of Australians’ thoughts are with the family, with her many friends, with her community. Helen Haines is someone of integrity.
'She’s greatly admired right across the political spectrum. She’s someone who’s characterised by her kindness, her diligence, her intelligence, someone who is so proud of representing that beautiful part of Victoria.
'And this is a tragic situation, and our thoughts are with her this morning and today, and we hope for a full recovery.'
