The FBI has opened an
investigation after needles were
found in sandwiches served on four
Delta Air Lines flights bound for the
US from the Netherlands. The needles, which the authorities said
appeared to be sewing needles, were
found in five sandwiches prepared by
the Amsterdam-based Gate Gourmet. One person flying to Minneapolis was
injured. Needles were also found on
two flights to Atlanta and one to
Seattle. Delta said it was taking the matter
"extremely seriously". In a statement, the airline said it was
co-operating with the FBI and the
authorities in the Netherlands and was
working with Gate Gourmet "to ensure
the safety and quality of the food"
served on board. James Tonges, who was travelling on
one of the flights, said he felt a needle
in his mouth after biting into a
sandwich. "When I pulled it out of my mouth it
was very clear," he told ABC News. "I
cleaned the food off and it was about
a one inch-long straight needle." Mr Tonges said he was taking
Truvada, a drug just approved in the
US for HIV prevention, while officials
investigated for "any type of
substance on the needle". Delta spokeswoman Kristin Baur told
the Associated Press news agency that
flights attendants stopped serving the
sandwiches as soon as the first needle
was discovered, and alerted other
flights. Passengers were served pizza instead. The person who was injured declined
medical treatment, said Ms Baur. A spokeswoman for Gate Gourmet,
Christina Ulosevich, said the company
had also launched its own
investigation and was heightening its
own "already stringent safety and
security procedures, to prevent any recurrence".
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18868431

Time to be very careful of what you eat on the air plane.