Further reports of dangerous objects in Halloween sweets have emerged in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Police have received reports of needles, screws and other metal items hidden in candy, with some children sustaining minor injuries.
Recent finds in Germany included a chocolate bar with a needle in Duderstadt, Lower Saxony, and a piece of metal in an ice-cream confection noticed by a father in Höxter, North Rhine-Westphalia. In Pilsting, Lower Bavaria, a needle and a wire-like object were found in sweets. Police in Lower Franconia reported three more discoveries: needles in two chocolate bars and a sharp-edged piece of metal in a gummy sweet.
Bavaria’s State Criminal Police Office said its records showed 25 cases this year involving sweets containing needles, screws or nails. The figures are preliminary and do not include other types of objects, so the actual number may be higher, the agency said.
Two children were reported injured. A child in Neustadt-Glewe suffered minor injuries inside the mouth after encountering a concealed needle. In Bremervörde, a nine-year-old injured her tongue on a five-centimeter pin found in a chocolate bar.
Police urged parents to inspect children’s sweets and report anything suspicious. Düsseldorf police also advised caution ahead of St Martin’s Day on November 11, saying they could not rule out copycat incidents.
Similar discoveries have been reported in Austria, where authorities said a girl sustained a minor injury. Austria’s Federal Criminal Police Office has set up an investigation unit and plans to coordinate with German authorities and Europol. Reports have also come from Norway, Ireland, Denmark and Hungary.
A senior Austrian criminal police official said investigators could not rule out the possibility that those responsible had connected through the internet, social media or online forums. In Germany, authorities in Rhineland-Palatinate said they had no evidence so far of a systematic or coordinated operation across the state. Europol said it would assist national authorities but would not establish its own task force.
Sources: Tagesschau.