From Al Jazeera · Al Jazeera Staff · · 1m 10s
Australian MP critically injured in car ramming
Independent lawmaker Helen Haines struck by vehicle outside her office in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called a deliberate attack.
In brief
Independent lawmaker Helen Haines struck by vehicle outside her office in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called a deliberate attack. Australian MP Helen Haines is in critical condition after being struck by a car outside her Wangaratta office in what authorities say was a deliberate attack. Originally reported…
MP struck outside her office
Independent lawmaker Helen Haines is in critical condition after being struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV outside her office in Wangaratta, some two hundred kilometres northwest of Melbourne.
Prime Minister calls it deliberate
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told national broadcaster ABC on Monday that the incident was not an accident. This wasn't an accident. There was a deliberate act, he said.
“This wasn't an accident. There was a deliberate act.”
Driver apprehended with knife
Civilians apprehended a forty-three-year-old male driver and handed him over to police, who found a knife in his car. The alleged attacker's motive remains unknown and Australia's counterterrorism squad has been activated.
Rising threats against politicians
The attack comes after federal police documented a steady rise in threats and abuse directed towards Australian politicians in recent years. Albanese said the temperature has increased in recent times, citing hostile social media comments.
The key point
Australian MP Helen Haines is in critical condition after being struck by a car outside her Wangaratta office in what authorities say was a deliberate attack.
