Slovak Suspect Held over Hipp Baby Food Contamination

Austrian authorities have remanded in custody a 39-year-old Slovak man arrested in connection with an attempted extortion of baby food manufacturer Hipp. The suspect, detained on Saturday morning in the state of Salzburg, was transferred to Eisenstadt prison on Sunday. On Tuesday, a court extended his remand for 14 days, citing reasonable suspicion of having committed the alleged acts, a risk of flight, the possibility of interference with the investigation and a risk of reoffending.

The suspect denies all charges. His defense lawyer, Manfred Arbacher-Stöger, said his client had no involvement in the case, describing him as a former Hipp employee who had left the company by mutual agreement. The lawyer attributed the discovery of rat poison during a search of the man's home to the fact that he runs a small farm in Slovakia.

In April, five contaminated jars of baby food were seized across three countries: two in the Czech Republic, two in Slovakia and one in Austria.

Toxicology results are not yet available.

(burgenland, bak)