VIENNA, Austria: A suspect in an extortion case involving jars of poisoned baby food produced by the company HiPP has been remanded in custody, prosecutors in the Austrian city of Eisenstadt said on Tuesday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
A judge agreed with the prosecution case that there was strong suspicion of culpability, along with a risk of concealment and flight from justice on the part of the 39-year-old suspect, a spokeswoman said.
He was arrested over the weekend and will remain in custody for an initial 14 days, after which his case will be reviewed.
According to the man’s lawyer, he is a former employee at a HiPP facility in Austria.
He is accused of inserting rat poison into a number of HiPP baby food jars in an attempt at blackmail. Investigations are ongoing into attempted grievous bodily harm and extortion.
The suspect denies the allegations.
Jars believed to have been contaminated have been found in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. – BERNAMA-dpa
