Taiwan Minister denies pager components in Lebanon blasts came from Taiwan

Components used in thousands of pagers that detonated Tuesday in Lebanon, killing dozens and injuring thousands, were not made in Taiwan, Taiwan's economy minister said Friday.

Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, a manufacturer of pagers, said this week it did not produce the devices used in the attack. The pagers were traced to Budapest-based company BAC, which has a license to use Gold Apollo's brand.

It remains unclear how or when the pagers were modified to be weaponized for remote detonation. The same uncertainty applies to the hundreds of handheld radios used by Hezbollah that exploded Wednesday in a second wave of attacks. The two incidents killed 37 people and wounded approximately 3,000 in Lebanon.

“The components are mainly low-end IC (integrated circuits) and batteries,” Taiwan's Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei told reporters.

Pressed on whether the parts in the exploding pagers were made in Taiwan, Kuo said, "I can say with certainty they were not made in Taiwan," adding that the case is under judicial investigation.

Security sources have attributed Tuesday’s pager explosions to Israel, raising tensions in the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. However, Israel has not officially commented on the attacks.

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, when asked if he had met with the de facto Israeli ambassador to express concerns over the case, answered, "No."

"We are asking our missions abroad to raise their security awareness and will exchange relevant information with other countries," Lin said.

As Taiwanese authorities investigate any potential links between Taiwan's global tech supply chains and the devices used in the attacks, Gold Apollo's president and founder, Hsu Ching-kuang, was questioned by prosecutors late Thursday. He was released after the questioning.

Also present at the prosecutor's office was Teresa Wu, the sole employee of a company called Apollo System. Wu did not speak to reporters when she left the office Thursday night.

Hsu stated earlier this week that a person named Teresa had been one of his contacts in dealings with BAC.

A spokesperson for the Shilin District Prosecutors Office in Taipei told Reuters that two people had been questioned as witnesses. Prosecutors have obtained consent to search four company locations in Taiwan as part of their investigation.

"We will determine if there was any involvement of these Taiwanese companies as quickly as possible to ensure the safety of the country and its people," the spokesperson said.

Iran-aligned Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel, which has not claimed responsibility for the detonations. The two sides have been engaged in cross-border conflict since fighting in Gaza erupted last October.

Reuters