The pager that exploded on Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring thousands, was manufactured in Hungary, a key European ally of Israel, the Taiwanese company whose brand appears on the pager said.
After simultaneous explosions Tuesday caused by pagers believed to be carried by Hezbollah fighters injured nearly 3,000 people and killed nine, attention now turns to how Hezbollah's communications systems were so thoroughly penetrated and to Gold Apollo, the company whose pagers were branded.
Taiwan's Gold Apollo said the AR-924 model that exploded was made under a license agreement with BAC Consulting KFT of Budapest, Hungary, and denied manufacturing or distributing the pagers. “We authorize BAC to use our brand trademarks to sell products in designated territories, but the design and manufacture of the products are the sole responsibility of BAC,” Gold Apollo said in a statement.
The Associated Press reported that the agreement has been in place for three years. The matter was further muddied by comments. Published NBC reported on the matter from BAC's alleged CEO, Christiana Barthony Arcidiacono, who denied any involvement. “I don't make pagers. I'm just a middleman. I think you're wrong,” she was quoted as saying.
As always in the world of intelligence, nothing is clear and the trail is covered.
There was initial speculation that intelligence agencies had discovered a way to remotely command a battery-powered device to detonate itself, but it appears that explosive devices were actually hidden inside the pagers before they were distributed.
Hungary is not necessarily considered a European electronics manufacturing powerhouse, but its governments are one of the closest to Israel in Europe, due in part to personal ties with the respective prime ministers, Orban and Netanyahu.
