Can the exploding pagers in Lebanon be linked to a Hungarian company? – UPDATED

Nearly three thousand people were injured in Lebanon when thousands of pagers used for communication exploded simultaneously in people’s pockets in southern Beirut on 17 September. Many of the victims are believed to be Hezbollah members, according to international reports. The devices are linked to global companies, including one in Hungary.

The AR-924 pagers involved in the explosions were reportedly manufactured by BAC Consulting Ltd., a company based in Budapest, Hungary, according to AP reports. This information was based on a statement from Taiwan’s Gold Apollo, released on Wednesday. Gold Apollo clarified that although their brand name was licensed on the pagers, the actual manufacturing was done by another company in Budapest.

Later, Cristiana Rosaria Bársony-Arcidiacono, the owner of BAC Consulting Ltd., confirmed to NBC News that her company had worked with Gold Apollo. When asked about the pagers and the explosions, she explained, “I don’t make the pagers. I’m just the middleman. I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” as reported by Blikk.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs stated on Wednesday that Gold Apollo exported 260,000 pagers between August 2022 and August 2024, mainly to European and U.S. markets. They emphasised that there had been no previous reports of explosions involving these products, nor any reports of the company exporting pagers directly to Lebanon.

According to the latest reports by Telex, the pagers were purchased from Taiwan by a Sofia-based company, which later sold them to Hezbollah. However, the Hungarian company involved, BAC Consulting, was only an intermediary, and the devices never physically entered Hungary.

The Hungarian government confirmed this in an official statement. Zoltán Kovács, State Secretary for International Communications, said „Authorities have confirmed that the company in question is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary. It has one manager registered at its declared address, and the referenced devices have never been in Hungary. During further investigations, Hungarian national security services are cooperating with all relevant international partner agencies and organisations,”

Telex further reported that BAC Consulting Ltd. did not perform any significant activities and was only registered with a headquarters service provider. The company had no office and acted solely as an intermediary.

The real manufacturers behind the pagers are not Hungarians

The Bulgarian company involved in the transaction has a Norwegian owner. Similar to BAC Consulting, it is also registered with a seat provider and is one of 196 companies registered through this service. The Bulgarian company, founded in April 2022, claims to specialise in project management, though it likely does not manufacture anything.

It remains unclear to what extent Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono was involved as an intermediary, but it is certain that her role was limited to covering up the involvement of the Bulgarian company.