The Hidden Hand: Uncovering the Truth Behind Lebanon’s Deadly Device Explosions

Pager and Walkie-Talkie Attacks in Lebanon: What Do We Know About the 'Fake Company' Manufacturing the Devices and Its 'Mysterious' Female Founder?"

 

After two separate attacks in Lebanon involving the explosion of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies, which resulted in thousands of injuries and at least 37 fatalities, details are still being gathered on how such actions were carried out.

The attacks targeted members of Hezbollah and their communication systems. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for these attacks, although Israel has not yet commented or responded.

To learn more about these attacks, the BBC has reviewed various alleged incidents from Taiwan and Japan to Hungary, Israel, and Lebanon, but many questions remain unanswered.

How were the pagers tampered with?

Some initial speculation suggests that the pagers could have been targeted by hacking them in a complex manner, causing them to explode, but this theory was quickly dismissed by experts.

"Experts suggest that given the scale of damage caused by the explosions, it is highly likely that explosive materials were installed in the devices before they reached Hezbollah.

The BBC visited the company's offices, located in a major business center on the outskirts of Taipei.

The company's founder, Hu Chonghuang, appeared surprised by the whole situation and denied any involvement of the company in these actions.

He told re

porters outside his office, 'Look at the photos from the Lebanon attacks; nowhere does it say that these pagers were made in Taiwan. We did not manufacture those pagers.'

Instead, he referred to a company in Hungary, BAC Consulting, claiming that they were the ones who made those pages.

He stated that three years ago, he had allowed this Hungary-based company to use the name 'Gold Apollo' on their pagers.

He explained that the financial transactions during business dealings with BAC Consulting were somewhat unusual and there were some issues, with money coming from the Middle East.

Who is the 'Mysterious' Female Founder of the Company?

The BBC also visited the registered office of BAC Consulting, located in a residential area of Budapest. 

Upon arrival, it was discovered that this address was registered under the names of 12 other companies, and no one in the building could provide any information about BAC Consulting.

Hungarian authorities have stated that this firm, registered for the first time in 2022, merely operated as a 'commercial intermediary' or clearing agent without any manufacturing or operational site in the country.

A brochure published on LinkedIn by BAC Consulting lists eight companies with which the firm claims to work, including the UK's Department for International Development.

The UK Foreign Office, which has taken over the responsibilities of this department, told the BBC that they are investigating but, based on initial discussions, they have no connection with BAC Consulting.

On BAC's website, Kristiana Barsoni is listed as the founder and CEO. The BBC attempted to contact her multiple times but was unable to reach her.

However, she told NBC News, 'We do not make pagers; we only act as intermediaries.'

According to Kristiana's 49-year-old LinkedIn profile, she holds citizenship in both Italy and Hungary. 

She often introduces herself as a strategy consultant and business developer, and her profile indicates that she has interned at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

However, on Friday, Kristiana's mother, Beatrix, told the Associated Press (AP) that she has been receiving threats and is currently residing in a safe location under the protection of Hungarian intelligence.

She added, 'The Hungarian intelligence agency has prohibited me from speaking to the media.'

Hungary's intelligence agency has yet to comment on Beatrix's claims, and the BBC has been unable to independently verify her statements.

Beatrix further stated that her daughter 'was not involved in any of this; she was merely an intermediary, and these devices (pagers) did not come from Budapest to Lebanon.'

Talking about her daughter, she mentioned that Kristiana was born in Sicily, Italy, and has studied at the University of Catania and University College London.

She also noted that Kristiana had worked in France and Austria before moving to Hungary in 2016."

Some people have worked with Kristiana and describe her as a 'mysterious' figure who appears in one place for a time and then suddenly disappears.

Kristiana holds a PhD in science, yet reports indicate that she chose to engage in charitable work across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Several individuals in Budapest claim they haven’t seen Kristiana since the beginning of this year. They say she has a deep interest in the arts and travel.

These individuals further mention that Kristiana does not speak Hungarian fluently. However, according to some reports, she is proficient in seven languages.

According to the news agency Reuters, Kristiana’s home in Budapest is adorned with nude paintings, and she used to frequent an art club in the capital, although she stopped going there two years ago.

BAC Consulting's website was shut down two days after the incidents involving the explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies. According to the website, their organization specializes in 'environmental, developmental, and international affairs.'"

So who is behind BAC Consulting? The American newspaper The New York Times reported that this company was actually a front for Israeli intelligence.

The newspaper cited three Israeli officials, stating that two other fake or fictitious companies were created to help conceal the identities of those who were actually manufacturing the pagers.

The BBC has not independently verified these reports, but we know that Bulgarian authorities have now begun investigating another company linked to BAC Consulting.

Bulgarian broadcaster BTV reported on Thursday that 1.6 million euros connected to the device attacks in Lebanon were sent from Bulgaria to Hungary."

"How were the walkie-talkies tampered with? 

Information regarding the walkie-talkies that exploded in the second wave of attacks in Lebanon is unclear. We know that at least some of the exploded walkie-talkies were of the IC-V82 model, manufactured by the Japanese company Icom.

 

According to a security source speaking to Reuters, Hezbollah purchased these walkie-talkies just five months ago.

 

Previously, a sales executive from a subsidiary associated with Icom in the United States told the news agency that the walkie-talkies that exploded in Lebanon were counterfeit products not made by the company. He added that counterfeit versions of these walkie-talkies are readily available on the internet.

 

It took the BBC only a few moments to discover the buying and selling of Icom's IC-V82 model walkie-talkies online.

 

Icom stated in a press release that it ceased production and sale of this model of walkie-talkies about a decade ago, in October 2014. It further mentioned that it had also stopped manufacturing the batteries required to operate them.

 

The company asserted that it does not allow any other company abroad to produce them, and all of its walkie-talkies are manufactured in a factory in Western Japan.

 

According to the Kyodo news agency, Icom's director, Yoshiki Enomoto, suggested that the damage around the battery of the exploded walkie-talkies indicates they had been repurposed by inserting explosive materials."

 

"How did these devices explode?

Videos show that moments before the explosions, victims reach out toward the devices. Following this, chaos erupts across the streets, shops, and homes nationwide during the attacks.

According to a letter from the Lebanese mission to the United Nations, reviewed by Reuters, Lebanese authorities have concluded that the devices were detonated via 'electronic messages.'

The New York Times, citing U.S. officials, reported that messages were received on the pagers shortly before the explosions, which appeared to be sent by Hezbollah leadership. The newspaper noted that these messages may have triggered the devices to explode.

We do not know what kind of message was sent to the walkie-talkies.

Were other devices sabotaged?

This is a question that many in Lebanon are now asking: whether other devices, including cameras, phones, or laptops, have also been tampered with to contain explosive materials. There is a sense of panic surrounding this issue.

The Lebanese army is trying to prevent further explosions using remote-controlled bomb disposal robots in the streets of Beirut.

BBC staff in Lebanon have been stopped and told not to use their phones or cameras.

A woman named Ghida told the BBC reporter, 'Everyone is scared... We don't know if we can keep our laptops or phones. Everything feels like a threat right now, and no one knows what to do.'

Why did the attack happen now?

There are many theories regarding the timing of the attacks involving the explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies this week.

One theory suggests that Israel sent a devastating message to Hezbollah in the context of the increasing animosity between Hezbollah and Israel nearly a year after Hamas's attack on October 7.

Another theory posits that Israel did not intend to implement its plan at this time but was forced to do so out of fear that the conspiracy would be exposed.

According to the U.S. agency Exeo, the original plan was to attempt to incapacitate Hezbollah fighters with the pager attacks at the onset of a broader war. 

However, when Israel realized that Hezbollah had become suspicious of this, it quickly decided to proceed with the attack."