The FBI said they have nabbed a man after he admitted that he sprayed what could be mice poison on unpackaged food at a number of grocery stores in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In a Tuesday news report, the government agency said that an investigation showed that this man sprayed a mixture of mouse poison, water and hand cleaner on food items and produce on open food bars at some Ann Arbor stores during the last few weeks.
Several stores including Meijer Inc, Whole Foods, Plum Market stores and others, were affected, according to a CBS Detroit report.
An investigation is now ongoing, said the FBI, to assess if there are other stores the suspect has visited in the last few weeks.
However, state officials said they don't expect adverse health effects for people who may have bought and eaten food items that are possibly contaminated with the mice poison. For safety's sakes, consumers are advised to throw away food items from salad bars, olive bars and ready-to-eat hot and cold food sections at the affected groceries and stores.
David P. Gelios, FBI Chief in Detroit said they have already identified the suspect and have taken him into custody on Tuesday after several tips were given by the public.
The agency has not named the suspect yet, and just said that he had admitted to spraying hazardous substances to contaminate food in a number of Ann Arbor area grocery stores and that the suspect did it in a span of two weeks.
In addition, the FBI revealed that the man also admitted that he visited many grocery stores in the area during the last couple of months. The investigation is focused on how many actual stores were targeted by the suspect.
"While the risk for adverse health effects appears to be low, more investigation is being done to determine what level of exposure may have occurred," said Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
