Pagers that exploded in Lebanon, Syria made by Budapest firm – Gold Apollo

Lebanese soldiers stand guard at a street that leads to the American University hospital where they bring wounded people whose handheld pager exploded in Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorized its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them.

The pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary’s capital, according to a statement released Wednesday by Gold Apollo.

Gold Apollo said the AR-924 pagers used by the Hezbollah militant group were produced and sold by a company called BAC that was authorized to use Gold Apollo’s trademark in some regions.

“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorize BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” the statement read.

Experts believe explosive material was put into the pagers prior to their delivery and use in a sophisticated supply chain infiltration.

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Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists Wednesday that his company has had an authorization agreement with BAC for the past three years.

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“This company has cooperated with us and represents many of our products,” Hsu said. “They also wanted to make pagers and asked me if they could use our company’s brand name.”

He added the products involved in the explosion were designed by BAC.

Hsu and other Gold Apollo representatives did not disclose more details about BAC and did not show any proof of the organizations’ agreement.

When pressed for information on BAC, Hsu became quiet and left.