Jars of baby food deliberately tampered with rat poison and discovered in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia were part of an attempted extortion plot targeting manufacturer HiPP, German police said on Monday.
The discovery followed an urgent recall issued over the weekend by Austrian supermarket chain SPAR. Police warned, however, that one additional contaminated jar may still be unaccounted for in Austria.
Austrian police confirmed on Saturday that the tainted jar found in the country tested positive for rat poison.
HiPP said in a statement that it was the victim of an extortion attempt after receiving a message from the perpetrator. While the company confirmed the jars had been tampered with, it did not specify the substance involved.
Authorities warned consumers to remain vigilant for baby food jars containing a potato-and-carrot blend. Austrian officials said the affected jars had been opened and marked with a white sticker bearing a red circle on the bottom. Because the jars had already been opened, their lids would not produce the usual popping sound when twisted.
German police said the Ingolstadt prosecutor’s office is overseeing an investigation into unnamed suspects on suspicion of attempted extortion against HiPP. Officers said they acted immediately after becoming aware of an email believed to have been sent by those responsible on 16 April.
While police did not disclose details of the demands, Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported that an earlier email was sent to HiPP on 27 March, demanding a payment of €2 million ($2.35 million). The report said the perpetrators threatened to poison two jars of baby food in each of three specified supermarkets in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia if the payment was not made by 2 April.
HiPP said the message was sent to an unpersonalised collective email address that is not monitored continuously, and that authorities were informed immediately once the company became aware of the threat.
The company stressed that the incident was unrelated to the quality or safety of its production process.
“This was a criminal, external manipulation beyond our control in three individual stores,” HiPP said, adding that it is not aware of any further cases of tampering.
Authorities continue to urge caution as the investigation remains ongoing and efforts continue to locate the potentially missing jar.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. T...
Aid organisations in Afghanistan are struggling to keep women in work as Taliban restrictions force them to spend more on male guardians, transport an...
The Trump administration is pressing ahead with new immigration rules that will impose fixed time limits on visas for foreign students, cultural excha...
African leaders convened a high-level virtual summit on Tuesday to rally support for the continent’s $518 million response plan to curb the Ebola outbreak in East Africa.
France’s parliament has formally recognised state responsibility for the use of the toxic pesticide chlordecone in Martinique and Guadeloupe, marking a significant step in addressing decades of environmental contamination and public health concerns.
Protesters in Nanyuki blocked roads and burned tyres after residents challenged a U.S. plan to house Americans exposed to Ebola at a nearby military base.
Medical teams are being rushed to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a fast-moving Ebola outbreak that has already caused dozens of suspected deaths and raised fears of wider regional spread.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
The U.S. military announced that it has completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets under U.S. President Donald Trump's orders. The operation targeted command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across multiple locations.
The death toll from the fire at a live music pub in Bangkok has climbed to 32 after two more victims died from their injuries, according to Thailand's Police Hospital.
Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
Nearly 7,000 people across the United States may have been infected with cyclosporiasis, a foodborne parasitic illness that causes prolonged diarrhoea. The outbreak has spread to 34 states, with health officials still trying to identify its source.
France has moved a step closer to legalising assisted dying after lawmakers approved landmark legislation that would allow some terminally ill adults to end their lives under strict conditions.
A brown skua seabird found near New Zealand's capital Wellington has tested positive for H5N1, marking the country's first detection of the bird flu strain.
Concerns are growing over a renewed cholera outbreak in Yemen, after years of conflict has left the country's healthcare system struggling to cope.
A cholera outbreak in Sudan is at risk of spiralling further as fighting, mass displacement and the start of the rainy season make it harder to contain the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment