‘Pagers used in Lebanon blasts made by Budapest-based BAC’
Taiwanese pager maker Gold Apollo says it was not involved in the production of these devices and had only licensed out its brand to the Budapest company.
The model of pagers used in detonations in Lebanon that killed at least 12 people and wounded around 3000 were made by Hungary-based BAC Consulting, according to the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo.
Pager maker Gold Apollo added that it was not involved in the production of these devices and had only licensed out its brand to the Budapest company.
Hundreds of pagers used by members of the militant group Hezbollah detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday.
Lebanese sources have told Reuters that they believe Israel’s spy agency Mossad had planted explosives inside the devices.
A day after the pager blasts, another series of explosions aimed at Hezbollah — this time appearing to target walkie-talkies — killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 450 across Lebanon.
Images of destroyed pagers show a format and stickers similar to the pagers made by Gold Apollo.
“The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it,” Gold Apollo founder and president, Hsu Ching-kuang, told reporters at the company’s offices in the Taiwanese city of New Taipei.
The company said in a statement that the AR-924 model was produced and sold by BAC.
Gold Apollo authorized “BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in specific regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are entirely handled by BAC,” the statement said.
Hsu said he did not know how the pagers could have been rigged to explode.
“We may not be a large company but we are a responsible one,” Hsu said. “This is very embarrassing.”
Meanwhile, according to a report by the BBC, the BAC was first incorporated in 2022 and has a single shareholder. The company is registered to a building in Budapest’s 14th district.
BAC’s website, which is no longer accessible, previously stated it was scaling up its business in Asia, and had a goal to “develop international technology co-operation among countries for the sale of telecommunication products.”
BAC reportedly had a net turnover of 256,996,000 Hungarian Forint (USD 725,000) in 2022, and 210,307,000 Hungarian Forint (USD 593,000) in 2023.
According to the official company register in Hungary, BAC is involved in activities ranging from the manufacture of electronic medical devices and electronic components to the extraction of natural gas and crude oil, a report in DW says.
