Dutch to investigate needles in sandwiches

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Dutch police investigating how needles got into six turkey sandwiches on Delta Air Lines flights from Amsterdam to U.S. cities said yesterday that the sandwiches and needles are being flown back to the Netherlands for tests.

Spokesman Robert van Kapel told The Associated Press that police at Schiphol Airport are taking the lead in the investigation and cooperating with the FBI.

He said the sandwiches will undergo forensic tests. Police were interviewing staff at the catering company that made the sandwiches in a kitchen near Schiphol Airport, as well as Delta staff.

A Delta spokeswoman said the needles were found Sunday in six sandwiches on flights to Minneapolis, Seattle and Atlanta. Passengers discovered four of them.

The sandwiches were made by Gate Gourmet, one of the world's largest airline caterers. The company serves many airlines, but only Delta flights appeared to be affected.

Delta spokeswoman Kristin Baur said security has been stepped up at Gate Gourmet facilities used by the airline.

Passenger Jim Tonjes, biting into a hot turkey sandwich on a Delta flight over the United States, felt a jab in his mouth and thought a toothpick holding the sandwich together had punctured the roof of his mouth. When he pulled it out, "it was a straight needle, about one inch long, with sharp points on both ends."

Now Tonjes is on a 28-day course of pills aimed at warding off any infection, including hepatitis or HIV.