'Plant person' to anti-Israel: accused attacker's pivot

Brendan Nugent posted prolifically on social media, pivoting to anti-Israel content more recently. (Joanna Kordina/AAP PHOTOS)

For years, the man suspected of critically wounding MP Helen Haines with his four-wheel drive posted prolifically on social media about environmental conservation.

But, from late 2023 - coinciding with the escalation of violence in Gaza - Brendan Nugent's focus on X radically shifted from the protection of native forests to the conflict and other political issues.