A man was charged in court Thursday after attempting to attack an Australian politician while armed with nunchucks, a martial arts weapon.

John Lawrence Smart, 56, was allegedly screaming when he broke into the office of Hannah Beazley, calling for her by name as he held a nunchuck over his head. Beazley, who serves as the minister for disability services of Western Australia, was absent that day, but two of her staff members were in the office. They barricaded themselves behind a security barrier, and neither of them was injured.

Smart appeared in a court in Perth Thursday, where he claimed that he was not carrying nunchucks but claves, which are wooden sticks that act as percussion instruments. The suspect has a history of schizophrenia, leading the magistrate, Heidi Watson, to order a medical assessment while he was in custody and to deny him bail on the grounds that he poses a danger to himself and others.

The attack follows another one earlier this week, in which Brendan Nugent rammed his car twice into Australian MP Helen Haines while she was unloading her car in front of her office. Haines had both legs amputated as a result of the attack. Prosecutors have not said that the two attacks are linked, but the incidents raised fears about the safety of female politicians, who are easily accessible to the public.