Taiwanese Pager Firm Clarifies No Involvement in Lebanon Blast Devices, Blames Budapest-Based Manufacturer
The devices exploded simultaneously on Tuesday afternoon after receiving a message that triggered the detonations
Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese pager manufacturer, stated on Wednesday that the model of pagers used in the Lebanon explosions was produced by Budapest-based BAC Consulting, distancing itself from the incident. Gold Apollo emphasized it had only licensed its brand to BAC and was not involved in manufacturing the devices.
A senior Lebanese security official and another source allege that Israel’s Mossad spy agency planted explosives in the devices.
Reuters analyzed images of the destroyed pagers, noting they matched Gold Apollo’s design format and branding.
Gold Apollo’s founder, Hsu Ching-kuang, clarified that the AR-924 model was entirely designed and produced by BAC Consulting.
“The product was not ours, only our brand appeared on it,” Hsu said during a press briefing in New Taipei. He added that the company had faced “strange” remittance issues from BAC, with payments originating from the Middle East.
As the press briefing unfolded, Taiwanese police and economy ministry officials visited Gold Apollo’s offices. The ministry confirmed that no direct pager exports to Lebanon were recorded.
Gold Apollo plans to sue BAC, positioning itself as a victim of the incident. “We may not be a large company, but we are a responsible one,” Hsu stated, calling the situation “very embarrassing.”
The pagers that detonated in a highly coordinated and deadly attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Tuesday originated from Budapest and were packed with just one to two ounces of highly explosive material, according to reports.
The devices exploded simultaneously on Tuesday afternoon after receiving a message that triggered the detonations, resulting in at least 12 deaths—including that of an 8-year-old girl—and nearly 3,000 injuries. Among the wounded was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon.
