Austrian police have announced the arrest of a 39-year-old suspect in connection with a case involving rat poison found in jars of baby food.
The incident, which a German manufacturer described as an extortion attempt, saw five “manipulated” jars of HiPP baby food safely recovered last month.
These contaminated products were intercepted in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia before they could be consumed. Authorities are still searching for a sixth jar, believed to be in Austria, which has not yet been located.
People have been urged to look out for damaged or open lids, a missing safety seal, an unusual smell, or a white sticker with a red circle on the bottom of the jar.
“Today we succeeded in arresting a suspect, 39-year-old man,” a spokesperson for police in the eastern state of Burgenland, where a poisoned jar was found, said, declining to provide further details because they could jeopardise the investigation.
Earlier on Saturday, tabloid newspaper Kronen Zeitung said the man had been arrested in the state of Salzburg, which borders Germany.
While HiPP did not elaborate on the nature of the extortion, Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported soon after the case came to light that an email was sent to HiPP in March demanding 2 million euros ($2.3 million) within six days but the company did not notice it until two weeks after that deadline.
HiPP said soon afterwards that the email was sent to a group address that is not checked often.
About the Author
