Sharp metal objects found in Halloween sweets in Austria

VIENNA: Austrian police have launched an investigation after small metal objects such as nails, needles and pins were found in Halloween sweets at several locations across the country.

German authorities this week also reported several cases of small metal objects being found inside Halloween sweets.

Austrian police have received 13 reports of metal objects found in sweets collected by children at Halloween, federal criminal police said on Wednesday in a statement sent to AFP.

Although no reported cases have required medical treatment, police urged parents and children to "carefully check... all Halloween sweets before they are eaten."

"Any sweets that have clearly been tampered with must be kept together with their packaging and reported to the police," they said.

Federal police are coordinating an investigation into the incidents, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and police chief Gerald Tatzgern told a press conference on Tuesday.

The 13 cases have been reported in four provinces, the police said: three in Lower Austria, three in Upper Austria, one in Salzburg and six in Styria.

In Lower Austria, a 10-year-old girl suffered minor injuries to her mouth after biting into a chocolate that had a needle inside, the APA news agency reported.

In Upper Austria, a 28-year-old father in the city of Linz found nails in treats his children had collected and a mother found needles in sweets gathered by her 11-year-old daughter, it said.

Objects found in Styria included a needle, two metal pins and a staple, according to APA.