Police investigate more tampered Halloween sweets across Bavaria

Police are investigating several new cases of Halloween sweets containing needles or other metal objects in Lower Franconia, Upper Bavaria and Lower Bavaria, BR reports. No one has been injured in the incidents reported so far.

In four cases in Lower Franconia, three chocolate bars and one gummy sweet were found to contain metal. Some of the tampering was visible through puncture holes; in one case, a gold-coloured needle protruded about two centimetres from a chocolate bar. Police say they suspect deliberate tampering and have ruled out a manufacturing fault and a connection between these cases. They do not yet know which homes handed out the sweets or whether the items may have been tampered with before being bought in a supermarket.

In Geretsried, in Upper Bavaria, parents found nails in sweets collected by two schoolchildren: one in a chewy sweet and another in a box of Smarties. The children had collected the treats in the south of the town on Halloween. In Pilsting, in Lower Bavaria, a needle and a wire-like object were found in a sweet. No one was hurt in either case.

Police are investigating all the cases on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm and urge parents to check their children’s Halloween sweets. Similar incidents have also been reported elsewhere in Germany and in Austria, and investigators are working together. Austrian police have not ruled out a link between the incidents. Gerald Tatzgern, head of investigations at Austria’s Federal Criminal Police Office, said those responsible may also have been connected through the internet or social media.