Lebanon attacks: Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo denies manufacturing controversial explosive pager devices
A Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo, has issued a statement denying any involvement in the production of pager devices that exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday, killing nine people and injuring nearly 3,000 others.
The company clarified its relationship with BAC Consulting KFT, a Hungarian-based firm, stating: “According to the agreement, we authorize BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in specific regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are entirely handled by BAC.”
Gold Apollo explained that the AR-924 pager model, implicated in the explosions, was “produced and sold by BAC.” The company reiterated that it only provided brand trademark authorization and had no role in the design or manufacturing of the product.
Company founder Hsu Ching-kuang had previously denied any involvement in the production of the pager devices.
Reports from Sky News Arabia and The New York Times suggest that Israeli intelligence agency Mossad may have tampered with the devices’ batteries before they arrived in Lebanon. The New York Times cited anonymous officials stating that the pagers, ordered from Gold Apollo, were altered prior to delivery.
She argued that “civilians are not a target and must be protected at all times,” and reminded that “even one civilian casualty is one too many”.
Hennis-Plasschaert described the developments as “an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context.” With the full impact still unfolding, she cautioned against further action or inflammatory rhetoric that could spark a wider conflict, stressing that “too much is at stake to do anything less.”
