In Germany, needles and other sharp metal objects have been found in sweets collected by children during Halloween celebrations, DW reports, citing law enforcement.
Police believe that most, if not all, of these objects — which also included metal screws — were deliberately inserted to cause harm.
Such incidents have been recorded, in particular, in the states of Thuringia, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate.
In one case in the southern city of Nuremberg, a child bit into a piece of chocolate and hit a needle with their teeth. The child was not injured.
In two separate cases in the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg, the needles were concealed in such a way that they could not be spotted from the outside.
Police have launched investigations in several cases on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm.
No suspects have been identified so far.
According to police, the children in Thuringia who found a needle were aged four and 10.