Austrian police have arrested a 39-year-old man in connection with an unsuccessful extortion case in which rat poison was put into children's food bottles of the German brand HiPP, a spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office in Eisenstadt told German news agency DPA.
DPA news agency quoted police as saying that the suspect was arrested in Burgenland, a state in southern Austria.
Previously, the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported that the suspect had been arrested in Salzburg state, bordering Germany.
The prosecutor's office confirmed that the suspect was arrested in Austria. The identity of this person has not been disclosed for tactical reasons related to the ongoing investigation. Police said that this person is currently being questioned.
According to officials, an unidentified individual tried to extort money from HiPP Company by soaking rat poison in their products.
Last month, 5 bottles of HiPP infant food that were "manipulated" were safely recalled in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia before they were consumed. HiPP had to recall the product in Austria.
German police intervened because these food bottles were produced by a German company.
In Austria, investigators found a total of 15 micrograms of rat poison in a seized "carrot potato" jar weighing 190 grams. This food jar was purchased at the Spar supermarket in Eisenstadt city, Burgenland state.
Currently, a search is underway for the second bottle that may be poisoned in Austria. According to the company, the German product line is not affected.
Immediately after the incident was brought to light, the Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported that an email was sent to HiPP in March, requesting 2 million euros (2.3 million USD) within 6 days, but the company was unaware until the deadline had passed 2 weeks.
Later, the company said that the email was sent to a group address that was not regularly checked.
HiPP is a family company founded more than 120 years ago in Bavaria, Germany. The company's headquarters and main production facility in Germany are located in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, in Upper Bavaria. However, HiPP Holding AG, the parent company, is headquartered in Sachseln, Switzerland.
