There has been a significant development in the investigation into the tainting of “Prinok" brand baby food purees. Police on Monday arrested a resident of southern Israel in their 40s for their alleged involvement in injecting sedative anesthetics and sedatives into the purees.

Investigators from the Crime Fighting Unit arrested the suspect at his home and took him for further interrogation. Tomorrow, he is expected to appear at a hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrates' Court, where the police will seek to extend his detention.

At the same time, the police continue to study the evidence collected so far to find the source of the substances and the mechanism by which they were injected into the products, along with investigating additional individuals suspected of involvement in the act.

The drama began two months ago, after three infants from the Jerusalem area were hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center with severe fatigue and apathy symptoms. Blood tests found traces of substances from the benzodiazepine family, chemical substances that act as anti-anxiety agents and are found in sedatives and anesthetics for adults, including Valium and Clonax.

Inspections found that the infants consumed various fruit purées from the "Prinok" brand purchased from various branches of the “Zol U’Begadol" supermarket chain in Jerusalem. The infants were discharged from the hospital after a period of observation, and it was later discovered that the anesthetics were present in additional jars of the company's baby food.