On Tuesday, thousands of Hezbollah members’ pagers were simultaneously detonated, resulting in casualties. On Wednesday (September 18), hundreds of Hezbollah members’ walkie-talkies were detonated again, resulting in at least 14 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The origin of the detonated pagers has become a focus of attention.
Currently, it is known that the pager company Gold Apollo’s trademark appeared on the detonated pagers. Gold Apollo company located in Xizhi District, New Taipei City, released a statement on Wednesday, indicating that the model AR-924 pagers belong to the product line produced and sold by BAC Consulting KFT based in Budapest, Hungary. Gold Apollo company is only responsible for authorizing the brand trademark, not the design and production of the product.
However, a Hungarian government official stated on Wednesday that the explosive pagers used in the Hezbollah attack had never appeared in Hungary.
Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács stated, “Authorities have confirmed that the company (BAC Consulting) is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operating facilities in Hungary. The company registered a manager at the address in their statement, and the mentioned equipment has never appeared within Hungarian territory.”
The European Commission spokesperson also denied that the CEO of the Hungarian company, Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, was employed by the European Commission because her LinkedIn job history listed the European Commission. The European Commission added that they are investigating whether she had previously worked at the Commission through an “external” supplier.
These statements have raised further questions: who manufactured these detonated electronic devices? And how did they end up in the hands of Hezbollah?
CNN attempted to contact BAC through the website provided by Gold Apollo and the office address located in a residential area of Budapest.
On Wednesday morning, a receptionist working in the building informed CNN reporters that BAC Consulting had rented a space at that address but that no one had personally visited the building. A lady residing in an apartment upstairs said she rarely saw anyone working in the building.
When CNN reporters arrived on the scene, plainclothes police from Hungary had already arrived.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s long-time spokesperson Kovács added, “Hungarian national security agencies are cooperating with all relevant international partner institutions and organizations.”
“For Hungary, this case does not pose a national security risk,” he said.
According to NBC News, Bársony-Arcidiacono confirmed in a phone call that her company collaborated with Gold Apollo but denied producing the pagers, stating, “I am just a middleman.”
However, since Gold Apollo denied ever manufacturing and exporting the detonated pagers, Bársony-Arcidiacono’s statement cannot be confirmed.
A senior security official from Taiwan told CNN on Wednesday that due to the transmission functionality of pagers, the production of such products in Taiwan is strictly regulated, with regular inspections carried out by authorities. The official stated that the Gold Apollo model pagers meet all standards, with no abnormalities found, although he did not provide further details on the inspections.
Based on social media images from Lebanon, at least one pager on the scene was confirmed to be the Gold Apollo AR924 model. According to product information on the Gold Apollo company website, the product is promoted as a compact waterproof device using rechargeable lithium batteries.
In its statement, Gold Apollo mentioned that the AR924 pagers are produced and sold by BAC, with the company having signed a licensing agreement; however, Gold Apollo refused to show the contract to CNN.
CNN reported that the head of Gold Apollo, Hsu Ching-Guang, mentioned encountering at least one abnormality in their dealings with the Hungarian company, noting that a wire transfer took a long time to clear.
“We may not be a big company, but we are a responsible one,” he said. “This is very embarrassing.”
According to company records from the Hungarian Ministry of Justice, BAC Consulting was established in 2022, indicating that the company collaborates with clients from various industries. From 2022 to 2023, the company’s total assets increased nearly tenfold. Within a year from 2022 to 2023, the company’s assets rose from $36,466 to $322,677.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs, from early 2022 to August 2024, Gold Apollo shipped around 260,000 pagers from Taiwan, with most sent to the US and Australia. The ministry stated in a release that there was no record of Gold Apollo pagers being shipped to Lebanon and added that an investigation would continue.