Australian lawmaker Helen Haines loses both legs after targeted car attack

Australian lawmaker Helen Haines has had both legs removed her husband told journalists on Wednesday after what police called a targeted attackHaines is in a stable condition at a Melbourne hospital after being struck by a car on Monday near her office in the town of Wangaratta more than 200 kilometres 120 miles northeast of the Victoria state capitalSpeaking at the hospital on Wednesday her husband Phil said that surgeons had been forced to remove both her legsBut the good news in all this is Helen is alive and shes stable That is the most important thing for our family he saidThe two most important parts of Helen for us as a family are her heart and her mind he saidHer heart is huge She is a very compassionate caring loving personThe man alleged to have wounded Haines in what police have called a targeted attack faced court earlier on WednesdayPolice have charged 43yearold Brendan Nugent with dangerous driving causing serious injury and intentionally causing serious injury as well as the federal crime of harming a public official which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prisonHe has also been charged with cultivating a cannabis plant and possession of the drug according to court documents shared with AFPNugent appeared at a courthouse in Wangaratta an AFP journalist at the scene saidHe did not apply for bail and his next hearing is scheduled for February 4Extremist viewsThe alleged attack has sparked soulsearching in a country where political violence is rare but where police have documented a steady rise in threats and abuse towards elected officials in recent yearsGovernorGeneral Sam Mostyn King Charles IIIs official representative in Australia said the nation was crying out for decency following the attackAustralians are yearning for kindness and care and theyre asking us why weve lost the great skill of disagreeing well Mostyn said alongside Helens husband PhilThe motive remains unknown and authorities have refused to speculate while the investigation takes placeBut police said Wednesday they were examining all possible leads including that Nugent may have held radical antigovernment viewsLike everyone were examining social media associations talking to witnesses friends and colleagues Victoria police commissioner Mike Bush told journalistsBush said authorities held no intelligence on the suspect and had seen nothing to suggest he posed an immediate threat before the attackAustralian Federal Police AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said there was a growing level of extremist views onlineThe current criminal threat environment is febrile and when it comes to federal parliamentarians the AFP continues to record the growing volume of online abuse threatening rhetoric and intimidation she saidWorld more dangerousThe independent lawmaker 65 was standing near the trunk of her car when she was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser on Monday afternoonPrime Minister Anthony Albanese has led an outpouring of support for Haines who was widely praised for her efforts to increase transparency in politics and crack down on corruptionHe bemoaned the fact that political debate in Australia had grown too heated and personal over the past few yearsIts a reminder that the world is a more dangerous and divided place than it was a generation ago Albanese told ABC Melbourne radio on WednesdayI think that Australians do want to see their politicians be able to go about their business to be able to get something from the back of their car for goodness sakeHaines entered parliament in 2019 after working as a nurse and midwife becoming known for stances such as supporting stronger climate actionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever