Suspect who rammed into Australian MP pushed anti-Israel messages prior to attack

Australian man arrested for ramming in car-ramming attack on Member of Parliament had posted anti-Israel messages on social media before the attack that left the lawmaker with both of her legs amputated.

By World Israel News Staff

A 43-year-old Australian man accused of deliberately running over a member of parliament in an attack that left her critically injured and resulted in the amputation of both her legs had a history of posting anti-Israel messages on social media, including accusations that Australian politicians were enabling Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Brendan Nugent, a resident of Tarrawingee in Victoria, was charged Tuesday over the attack on independent MP Helen Haines, 65, who was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser outside her electoral office in Wangaratta, approximately 250 kilometers northeast of Melbourne, on Monday afternoon.

Witnesses said the driver rammed Haines while she was retrieving items from her vehicle, then reversed and struck her a second time. Members of the public intervened and restrained the suspect until police arrived.

Haines was airlifted to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne, where doctors amputated her left leg on Monday. Her husband, Phil Haines, confirmed Wednesday that surgeons had subsequently amputated her right leg after efforts to save it were unsuccessful.

“The good news in all this is that Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family,” he told reporters.

Nugent appeared before the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, facing charges of intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. He also faces separate cannabis-related charges.

He did not enter a plea or apply for bail and will remain in custody until his next court appearance in February.

An examination of Nugent’s social media activity revealed that he had repeatedly criticized Israel and Australian government policy toward the Jewish state, particularly following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.

In one post directed at Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in May 2024, Nugent accused her of failing to hold Israel accountable for its military operations.

“You have not been clear on anything other than giving Israel impunity to kill thousands of children,” he wrote.

In another exchange, Nugent described Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Wong as “US lap dogs” after they condemned Iranian attacks against Israel.

His account also shared fundraising appeals for Gaza residents and circulated material accusing Israel of committing genocide.

As recently as Sunday, the day before the attack, Nugent reposted material concerning an Italian investigation into allegations against Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The account, which operated under the username @NotLaoTzu, contained more than 10,000 posts dating back to 2014.

Nugent had previously devoted much of his online activity to environmental conservation, opposing native forest logging and advocating action on climate change. He had participated in environmental protests in Victoria and was associated with the Save Our Strathbogie Forest campaign.

His online activity shifted significantly toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other political issues beginning in late 2023.

Despite his increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Israel, investigators have not established any connection between those views and the attack on Haines.

Indeed, Nugent’s previous public interactions with the lawmaker appeared generally favorable.

In 2019, he praised Haines as a “politician who takes climate change seriously” and criticized political advertising directed against independent candidates in her electorate.

The two followed each other on X, and investigators examining their publicly available exchanges found no clear evidence of personal hostility toward Haines.

Haines herself has previously criticized Israel’s military operations in Gaza, called for a ceasefire and urged international pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while also condemning Hamas.

The motive for Monday’s attack remains under investigation.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said determining what prompted the alleged assault was a central priority for investigators.

The Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police and counterterrorism authorities are involved in the investigation. Police believe Haines was deliberately targeted but have not established whether the attack was motivated by political ideology, a personal grievance or other factors.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said authorities had received no specific intelligence indicating that Haines faced an imminent threat from Nugent.

The suspect’s lawyer, Chirag Patel, told the court Wednesday that his client had a neurological condition known as idiopathic transverse myelitis and had experienced mental health concerns, although he had not received a formal psychiatric diagnosis.

Nugent was also being treated for a concussion, his lawyer said.

The suspect’s father, Rodney Nugent, and stepmother, Christine Cunningham, issued a statement expressing support for Haines, whom they described as a family friend of more than 20 years.

“What happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable,” they said.

The attack has prompted widespread condemnation from Australia’s political leadership and renewed concerns about the safety of elected officials.

Prime Minister Albanese described the incident as a deliberate attack and warned against the growing hostility directed at politicians.

“We all have a responsibility to turn the temperature down,” he said, urging Australians to reject political violence and increasingly aggressive public discourse.