Taiwan individuals, firms not involved in Lebanon device blasts: Taiwan prosecutors

AFP , Monday 11 Nov 2024

Taiwan investigators said Monday there was no evidence that Taiwanese individuals or firms were involved in the Israeli deadly September attack on Hezbollah communications devices which exploded in Lebanon.

Lebanon
An individual holds fragments of a pager that exploded in Lebanon as a result of an Israeli attack. (Photo via X)

 

"Our investigation has verified that no nationals or domestic companies were involved in Lebanon's high-profile pager detonation incidents," Taiwan prosecutors said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Sunday he "greenlighted the pager operation".

Exploding pagers and walkie-talkies killed nearly 40 people and wounded almost 3,000, and preceded Israel's ongoing war on Lebanon which has killed thousands more.

The New York Times reported previously that Israel had inserted explosive material into a shipment of pagers from Taiwan's Gold Apollo, citing American and other anonymous officials.

Gold Apollo has staunchly denied producing the devices.

Taiwan investigators on Monday cleared the company, its chairman and its employees of any involvement.

"No concrete evidence of criminal activity has been discovered in this case, nor have any specific individuals been implicated in any criminal activity," said the prosecutors' office in Taipei's Shilin district.

As a result, the case was closed, the office said.

Gold Apollo, which is based in Xizhi district in New Taipei City, did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

The prosecutors said they found that the AR-924 model pager had been designed, manufactured and shipped "outside Taiwan" by the "multinational group" Frontier Group Entity.

Gold Apollo had authorised Frontier Group Entity to use its trademark under an agreement signed with a subsidiary of that company in June 2022, prosecutors said.

Investigators did not say where Frontier Group Entity is based or identify its subsidiary.

"There are no import or export records of AR-924 model pagers being exported from Taiwan to other countries or regions," the prosecutors said.

Gold Apollo had initially pointed the finger at its Hungary-based partner BAC Consulting KFT, which the Taiwanese company had allowed to use its trademark.

But a Hungarian government spokesman said BAC Consulting KFT was "a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary".

Hezbollah began low-intensity strikes on Israel in support of the Palestinians since the Israeli war on Gaza started on October 7, 2023.

Strikes have intensified since war broke out in Lebanon in late September, when Israel escalated its air campaign against the country and later sent ground troops into south Lebanon.

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