Lebanon on Tuesday was rocked by explosions involving pagers that resulted in the deaths of at least nine individuals and injuries to nearly 3,000, drawing attention to the devices' origins. The pagers, used by members of Hezbollah, were manufactured by BAC Consulting, a company based in Budapest, according to Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese firm. On Wednesday, Gold Apollo clarified that it had merely licensed its brand to BAC and had no role in the actual production of the devices, reported Reuters.
How Did Gold Apollo Get Involved?
The explosions occurred simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday, raising suspicions regarding the involvement of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. Senior security sources indicated that explosives were allegedly placed inside the pagers.
Photographic evidence reviewed by Reuters revealed that the pagers displayed branding and design elements consistent with Gold Apollo products.
'Authorised BAC To Use Our Brand'
Hsu Ching-kuang, the founder and president of Gold Apollo, addressed reporters in New Taipei, Taiwan, stating, "The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it." He elaborated that the AR-924 model pagers were produced and sold exclusively by BAC. "We authorised 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," he added.
Attempts to contact BAC for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and emails went unanswered on Wednesday morning. Hsu mentioned that there had been issues with remittances from BAC, noting that payments appeared to be coming from the Middle East, though he did not provide further details.
Hezbollah fighters reportedly adopted pagers in hopes of evading Israeli tracking efforts. However, Hsu expressed uncertainty regarding how the devices could have been modified to detonate. As Hsu was speaking to the media, law enforcement officials arrived at the Gold Apollo office, and representatives from Taiwan's economy ministry also visited. The ministry issued a statement confirming that there was no record of direct pager exports from Taiwan to Lebanon.
Hsu declared that Gold Apollo considers itself a victim of this tragic event and is contemplating legal action against its licensee. "We may not be a large company but we are a responsible one," he stated. "This is very embarrassing."