CANBERRA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Helen Haines, a member of Australia's federal parliament, has been hospitalized after being struck by a car in an alleged attack on Monday afternoon.
Haines, who serves as an independent Member of Parliament (MP) representing the electorate of Indi in the state of Victoria, was hit by a vehicle in the town of Wangaratta, about 200 km northeast of Melbourne, around 3:35 p.m. on Monday, and was taken to hospital with critical injuries, according to a police statement.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters that Haines was attacked outside of her electorate office.
"There is a major police investigation underway, and I can confirm that a suspect is in custody," he said.
Police identified the suspect as a 43-year-old man and said a knife was found inside his vehicle.
Albanese said that Victoria's joint counter-terrorism team has been activated to investigate the incident, but that it was too early to determine a motive.
Haines, aged 65, has served as the MP for Indi since 2019. ■
