Austrian Police Arrest Suspect in Poisoned HiPP Baby Food Extortion Case
Details of the Poisoned HiPP Baby Food Extortion Incident
Arrest of the Suspect
VIENNA, May 2 (Reuters) - Austrian police said on Saturday they have arrested a 39-year-old suspect in connection with a case in which rat poison was placed in jars of baby food in what their German manufacturer called an attempt to extort it.
Recovery of Manipulated Baby Food Jars
Five "manipulated" jars of the same kind of baby food made by German brand HiPP were safely recovered last month in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia before they could be consumed, German police said at the time. A sixth jar thought to have been in Austria has still not been found.
Location and Circumstances of the Arrest
"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.
Media Reports on the Arrest
Earlier on Saturday, tabloid newspaper Kronen Zeitung said the man had been arrested in the state of Salzburg, which borders Germany.
Extortion Attempt and Company Response
Nature of the Extortion
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's Reaction to the Threat
HiPP said soon afterwards that the email was sent to a group address that is not checked often.
Additional Information
($1 = 0.8532 euros)
(Reporting by Francois MurphyEditing by Keith Weir)
