The exploding pagers that injured thousands and killed nine on Tuesday were made in Hungary, a key European ally of Israel, the Taiwanese company whose brand name appeared on them said.
Nearly 3,000 people were injured and nine killed in simultaneous explosions caused by pagers apparently carried by Hezbollah militants on Tuesday. Attention has now turned to how Hezbollah’s communication systems could have been so thoroughly infiltrated, and to the company whose branding appeared on the devices, Gold Apollo.
Gold Apollo of Taiwan has denied having made or distributed the pagers, saying the AR-924 model that exploded was manufactured through a licensing agreement by a company in Budapest, Hungary, BAC Consulting KFT. Gold Apollo said in their statement: “we authorize BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC”.
They said this agreement had been in place for three years, reports the Associated Press. The trail was further muddied by the comments published by NBC from a woman identified as the Chief Executive of BAC, Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, who denied involvement. She is reported to have said: “I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong”.
As ever in the world of intelligence work, nothing is clear and tracks are covered.
While widespread early speculation asked whether an intelligence agency may have discovered a way to command battery powered devices to self-immolate remotely, it appears to be the case instead that explosive devices had been secreted inside the pagers before they were distributed.
Hungary is not necessarily thought of as a European electronics manufacturing powerhouse, but its government is one of the closest in Europe to Israel, in part down to a personal relationship between the respective nation’s Prime Ministers Orban and Netanyahu.