Australian independent MP Helen Haines remains in critical condition after a car deliberately struck her outside her office in Wangaratta, police and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday.
Victoria Police said a 43-year-old man had been arrested over the attack. Wangaratta lies roughly three hours’ drive northeast of Melbourne. Haines, 65, was flown to hospital by air, Albanese said.
Police and government response to the attack
Albanese said his thoughts were with Haines, her family, her team and her community, and he said he was praying for her full recovery. Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason told reporters that police believed there was no further threat to the public.
Motive under investigation by terrorism taskforce
Albanese said it was too early to determine a motive, and a terrorism taskforce will investigate the arrested suspect. In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Haines’ family thanked bystanders, health workers and police for their swift assistance.
