Hungarian shell company behind exploding pagers used by Israel in Lebanon terror attack
The devices were reportedly laced with explosive material before their delivery to Lebanon
The AR-924 pagers used by Israel in a terror attack that left thousands of casualties in Lebanon on 17 September were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, a shell company based in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, according to a statement released by Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese firm that authorized the use of its brand on the pagers.
“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.
Gold Apollo’s chair, Hsu Ching-Kuang, told journalists Wednesday that his firm inked the licensing agreement with BAC three years ago.
“The product was not ours. It was only that it had our brand on it,” the Taiwanese businessman told reporters. “We are a responsible company. This is very embarrassing.”
BAC Consulting KFT was registered in May 2022 as a limited liability company, according to company records reviewed by AP. Per the report, the Hungarian company has 7,840 euros in standing capital and had revenue of $725,768 in 2022 and $593,972 in 2023.
The company’s headquarters is located in a residential neighborhood of Budapest. Journalists who visited the building on Wednesday reported seeing the names of multiple companies, including BAC Consulting, “posted on pieces of paper on a window.”
An unnamed woman confirmed to the reporters that the building “provides headquarters addresses to various companies.”
BAC Consulting is registered with Cristiana Rosaria Bársony-Arcidiacono, listed as its owner and sole employee on the company website.
The website, which was blocked behind a username and password on Wednesday morning, also claims she has served on the board of directors of the Earth Child Institute. However, the sustainability group does not list Bársony-Arcidiacono among its board members.
Attempts by multiple media outlets to contact BAC Consulting or Bársony-Arcidiacono have gone unanswered.
According to several reports in western media, Israel’s Mossad spy agency was behind the unprecedented terror attack, planting explosives inside 5,000 AR-924 pagers acquired by Hezbollah several months back.
The explosive material was reportedly laced in the pagers before their delivery to Lebanon and Syria using what is described as a “complex supply chain obstruction.”
Up to 2,800 people were injured, hundreds of them critically, and 12 people died following Israel’s terror attack against Lebanon.
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