Australian independent MP Helen Haines has had both of her legs amputated following an alleged targeted car attack outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne, on Monday, her husband Phil Haines said on Wednesday, according to the BBC and AFP. Haines, 65, was struck twice by a 4x4 vehicle while loading her car. Her left leg was amputated after she was airlifted to hospital, and surgeons worked for days to save her right leg before amputating it as well. "The good news in all this is Helen is alive and she's stable. That is the most important thing for our family," Phil Haines told reporters in Melbourne, adding that her heart and mind were in good shape but that her recovery would be long and difficult. The allegations against the accused have not been tested in court.

The accused, Brendan Nugent, 43, from Tarrawingee, within Haines's electorate of Indi, appeared briefly at Wangaratta Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. He is charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and causing harm to a public official, and also faces cannabis cultivation and possession charges, according to court filings reported by AFP and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He did not apply for bail, did not speak during the hearing, and was remanded in custody until February 4. His lawyer told the court he has a rare neurological condition, idiopathic transverse myelitis, and was being treated for concussion and mental health concerns, the ABC reported.

Police have described the incident as a targeted attack, and the investigation into the motive is continuing. Political violence against elected officials is rare in Australia, and the attack has drawn a national reaction: Governor-General Sam Mostyn said the country was still reeling from the shock of the attack. Haines, a former nurse and midwife, has represented Indi as an independent since 2019 and has campaigned on climate change, regional housing and integrity in politics. This is a major development in the case Awaaz Punjab first reported on October 19, when Haines was critically injured and a counter-terrorism team joined the investigation. Sources: BBC (Oct 21); AFP (Oct 21, via Malay Mail); ABC Australia (Oct 21, court reporting).