Taiwan questions head of pager firm linked to Hezbollah blasts

Taiwan-based Gold Apollo denies manufacturing devices used in Lebanon attack, linked to Budapest-based company BAC.

The president and founder of a Taiwanese pager company linked to the detonation of thousands of pagers targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon was questioned by prosecutors late into the night on Thursday (September 19, 2024), then released.

Taiwan-based Gold Apollo's president and founder Hsu Ching-kuang has said it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack, and that they were made by a Budapest-based company BAC which has a licence to use its brand.

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Images of destroyed pagers analysed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo.

Hsu declined to answer reporters’ questions as he left one of the Taipei offices of Taiwan prosecutors late Thursday. Calls to the prosecutor’s office before office hours on Friday were not answered. Taipei prosecutors have not issued any statements so far about their investigations into Gold Apollo.

Another person also seen leaving the prosecutor’s office was Teresa Wu, the sole employee of a company called Apollo Systems Ltd, who did not speak to reporters as she left the prosecutors late on Thursday.

Hsu said this week a person called Teresa had been one of his contacts for the deal with Hungary-based firm BAC.