A 39-year-old man was arrested in southern Austria in connection with an attempted blackmail in which rat poison was placed in jars of baby food produced by German brand HiPP, the Eisenstadt public prosecutor’s office told the DPA news agency. Authorities said the detention occurred in Burgenland; earlier reports had named Salzburg. The suspect is being questioned and his identity is being withheld for tactical reasons while the probe continues.
Investigators say an unknown individual attempted to extort money from HiPP by contaminating products. Last month, five “manipulated” jars were discovered unopened in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and removed before they could be consumed. That led to a product recall in Austria and prompted German police to join the investigation because the jars were manufactured by a German company.
In Austria, forensic tests found about 15 micrograms of rat poison in a 190-gram jar labeled “carrots with potatoes,” which had been purchased at a Spar supermarket in Eisenstadt. Authorities have not disclosed the exact type of poison and are searching for a second potentially contaminated jar in the country. HiPP says its German product range was not affected.
Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported that an email demanding €2 million within six days was sent to HiPP in March; the company only became aware of the message roughly two weeks after the deadline had passed. HiPP said the demand had been sent to a group address that is not checked frequently.
HiPP is a family-run company founded in Bavaria more than 120 years ago. Its German headquarters and main production plant are in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, and the parent company, HiPP Holding AG, is based in Sachseln, Switzerland.