Police in southern Germany are urgently hunting for a man suspected of poisoning five jars of baby food in an attempt to extort millions of euros from supermarkets and pharmacies.

Five jars of baby food were found contaminated with ethylene glycol, a sweet-tasting chemical that can be lethal to adults as well as babies.

The unnamed suspect, believed to be in his fifties, sent an email to several supermarket and pharmacy chains in the city of Friedrichshafen threatening to poison more than 20 different foodstuffs unless he was paid a ransom of at least €10m (£8.8m).

The email said he had already poisoned five jars of baby food as proof the threat was serious. Police raced to remove all baby food from the shelves across the city and were able to track down the five contaminated jars before they could be sold.