Minister Confirms Components in Lebanese Pagers Not Made in Taiwan

Taiwan’s Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei announced that components used in pagers linked to recent deadly explosions in Lebanon were not manufactured in Taiwan.

This statement comes after the CEO of Taiwan-based Gold Apollo was released following questioning about the firm’s potential involvement in the attacks.

The pagers, which detonated in a significant incident targeting Hezbollah, were traced back to Budapest-based BAC Consulting, a company that holds a license to use Gold Apollo’s brand name. Gold Apollo clarified that it did not produce the devices used in the attack.

“I can say with certainty they were not made in Taiwan,” Minister Kuo stated in a press conference.

He also added that the investigation is ongoing. He described the components as primarily low-end integrated circuits and batteries.

The explosions, which resulted in 37 deaths and approximately 3,000 injuries, raised suspicions of Israeli involvement, although Israel has not commented on the incidents. As Taiwan conducts inquiries into any links between its technology supply chains and the devices used in the blasts, the focus remains on how the pagers were weaponized and the implications of these attacks on security.

Gold Apollo’s founder, Hsu Ching-kuang, expressed disbelief at the association with the explosions and noted that he had licensed the use of his company’s name to BAC Consulting three years ago. Taiwanese authorities have launched a thorough investigation, including searches at multiple locations linked to the case.

With input from Al Jazeera, the New York Times, and BBC.