The horrifying secret behind baby puree: infants hospitalized

A 41-year-old man was detained in Jerusalem, Israel, after potent sedatives were detected in infant fruit puree. He is suspected of intentionally contaminating the products with medication, The Jerusalem Post reports.

The incident came to light in June, involving "Prinok" brand baby fruit purees sold at two branches of the "Zol VeGadol" supermarket chain in Jerusalem. After consuming the product, several children were hospitalized with weakness, drowsiness, and other symptoms.

Doctors detected clonazepam and lorazepam, substances belonging to the benzodiazepine group, in the children's blood. Subsequently, the Ministry of Health announced that laboratory tests also found the same substances in several jars of puree. These drugs were identified in a total of five products.

During the investigation, police identified 41-year-old Yan Shemlan, a resident of southern Israel, as a suspect. According to law enforcement, he may have taken jars of puree at the supermarket, added medicinal substances to them, and put the products back on the shelves.

Police analyzed hundreds of hours of surveillance camera footage to identify the suspect. Afterwards, Shemlan's residence was put under surveillance, and he was arrested at his home. Videos released by police capture his movements in the supermarket, though the exact process of injecting the medication into the jars is not shown.

The motive for the crime has not been determined in the preliminary investigation. Officials also stated there is no basis to link the incident to terrorism. The investigation into the case is currently ongoing. It was reported that on September 10, the prosecutor's office plans to formally charge Shemlan.

The Israeli Ministry of Health has urged parents to pay attention to the integrity and unopened state of packaging when purchasing food products for children.