A man who contaminated adult and baby food in Germany has been sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison for attempted murder and extortion.
The 54-year-old admitted placing poisoned jars of food in supermarkets and blackmailing retailers by offering to identify items, local media report.
He targeted retailers in the southern city of Friedrichshafen last year.
The food jars contained enough ethylene glycol, an odourless toxic liquid, to kill a child, prosecutors said.
Traces of the toxin were found in several products in large enough quantities to justify finding the man guilty of five counts of attempted murder, Germany’s Deutsche Welle reported.
The colourless substance used for the contamination, which is an ingredient used in antifreeze, has a sweet taste and is known to attract children and animals.
As he appeared at the court in the town of Ravensburg on Tuesday, the man admitted sending threatening emails warning that food would be poisoned throughout Europe unless he received almost €12m.
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