Baby Food Poisoning Suspect Claims Revenge Motive

Yan Shemla, the suspect in the intentional poisoning of "Prinoch" baby food with sedatives, claims his motive was revenge. During police interrogation, he admitted to adding lorazepam and clonazepam to jars of baby food in several Jerusalem stores. Shemla stated that he believed others were trying to poison him and that he acted in retaliation. According to "Kipa," he told investigators that he had been "hounded for a long time" and, when asked about remorse, responded, "They treated me badly, I did what I thought was necessary." A court has extended Shemla's detention for the second time to allow investigators to determine his motives and whether he acted alone. At a previous hearing, his lawyer stated that Shemla suffers from bipolar disorder and has a psychiatric history. Following his arrest, he was sent for evaluation at Eitanim Psychiatric Hospital, where he was deemed fit for detention. In June, three infants hospitalized were found to have traces of the sedatives clonazepam and lorazepam in their blood. All the children had consumed "Prinoch" baby food purchased from different branches of the "Zol VeBegadol" chain in Jerusalem before their hospitalization. A Ministry of Health inspection of the stores revealed that some jars of "Prinoch" baby food had been previously opened.