Austrian police arrest suspect in HiPP baby food poisoning extortion case

Austrian police detained a 39-year-old man in connection with an attempted blackmail case in which rat poison was placed in jars of baby food produced by the German brand HiPP, a spokeswoman for the Public Prosecutor's Office in Eisenstadt told Germany's DPA news agency on Saturday.

The APA news agency cited police as saying that the suspect was arrested in Burgenland, a state in southern Austria, News.Az reports, citing Deutsche Welle.

Earlier, the Austrian tabloid newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported that the suspect had been arrested in the state of Salzburg, which borders Germany.

The prosecutor's office has confirmed that the suspect has been detained in Austria. His identity has not been disclosed for tactical reasons relating to the ongoing investigation. Police have stated that he is currently being questioned.

What do we know about the case?

According to authorities, an unknown individual attempted to extort money from HiPP by contaminating its products with rat poison.

Last month, five "manipulated" jars of HiPP baby food were recovered safely in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia before they could be consumed. HiPP put out a product recall in Austria.

The German police became involved in the case because the jars were manufactured by a German company.

In Austria, investigators found a total of 15 micrograms of rat poison in a 190-gram jar of "carrots with potatoes" that had been seized. The jar was bought in a Spar supermarket in the city of Eisenstadt in Burgenland state. The precise nature of the poison remains undisclosed.

A search is currently underway for a second potentially poisoned jar in Austria. According to the company, the German product range was not affected.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova