What we know about the Taiwanese firm caught up in Lebanon’s exploding pagers attack

The deadly simultaneous explosions triggered by hundreds of pagers carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon have thrust a little-known Taiwanese electronics manufacturer into the global spotlight, after its damaged products were identified in images following the attack.

The deadly simultaneous explosions triggered by hundreds of pagers carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon have thrust a little-known Taiwanese electronics manufacturer into the global spotlight, after its damaged products were identified in images following the attack. At the non-descript offices of Gold Apollo on the outskirts of the Taiwanese capital on Wednesday, the founder of the company, Hsu Ching-kuang, vehemently denied making the pagers used in the massive assault. Instead, he said the devices were made by a European firm that had licensed his brand. “Of course, I feel like a victim,” Hsu told reporters shortly before police officers arrived to carry out an investigation. “I’ve been going about my own business for 30 years, why am I suddenly roped into this?” Multiple photos from the Tuesday attacks appearing to show damaged pagers bearing the Gold Apollo trademark has heightened scrutiny of the company, especially after the New York Times reported, citing unnamed sources, that Israel hid explosives inside the devices and added a switch in each one, which was later used to detonate them remotely. The production of pagers is highly regulated in Taiwan due to their transmission functions, with authorities conducting regular inspections, a senior Taiwanese security official told CNN on Wednesday. Gold Apollo’s pagers had met all standards and nothing unusual was found, according to the official, who did not provide further details about the inspection. Authorities are additionally looking into the company’s claim that it had outsourced production to Europe, they added.