The components of thousands of pagers that exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday in an attack on "Hezbollah" were not made in Taiwan. Reuters reported today, citing Taiwan's Economy Minister Guo Zhuhui.
Taiwan-based company "Gold Apollo" ("Gold Apollo") this week said that the devices used in the attack were not manufactured by it and that the Budapest-based company BAC ("BAC"), to which the devices were traced, had a license to use the trademark.
It is not clear how the pagers were turned into remote detonation weapons, nor how the hundreds of handheld radios used by Hezbollah were detonated on Wednesday in a second wave of attacks. A total of 37 people were killed and 3,000 injured in the two incidents in Lebanon.
Taiwan's economy minister told reporters that the parts were mostly low-end microchips and batteries.
And when pressed about whether the exploding pagers were made in Taiwan, he said he could say with certainty that they "were not made in Taiwan". Guo added that the case is being investigated by judicial authorities.
Security sources said Israel was responsible for the pagers that exploded on Tuesday, raising the stakes in the growing conflict between the two countries. Israel has not commented on the attacks.
Asked if he had met with Israel's de facto ambassador to Taiwan to express concern about what happened, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chalun said "no".