ISRAEL’S PAGER ATTACKWhat We've Learned About the Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Norwegian Links To Hezbollah's Pagers
A Bulgarian company with Norwegian links has surfaced in the supply chain of the pagers that detonated in Lebanon this week, killing 37 people and injuring several thousand others. The pagers, which were being used by members of Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy in the Middle East and designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, exploded simultaneously across Lebanon on September 17.
A Bulgarian company with Norwegian links has surfaced in the supply chain of the pagers that detonated in Lebanon this week, killing 37 people and injuring several thousand others.
The pagers, which were being used by members of Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful proxy in the Middle East and designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, exploded simultaneously across Lebanon on September 17.
The devices looked like those made by Taiwanese-based Gold Apollo, but the company said on September 18 that the pagers were actually produced by a Hungarian company called BAC Consulting.
Now, new findings point to additional connections in Bulgaria and Norway.
Here’s what RFE/RL has learned so far about the companies and their shadowy owners.
The Bulgarian Connection
Norta Global Ltd., a Bulgarian company registered in Sofia in April 2022, has now emerged as one of the possible players in the supply chain of the deadly pagers. According to Telex.hu sources, the Hungarian company was only involved on paper and the actual logistics were handled by Norta Global.
Bulgarian records reveal that the company has no employees, minimal profits, and is operating from an address linked to Agentsya Za Novy Firmy, a Bulgarian shell company agency.
When RFE/RL reporters visited the address on September 18, Atanas Atanassov, one of the owners of Empresi, the company representing Norta Global, refused to answer any questions.
Similarly, the co-owner, Eli Atanasova, ended the call abruptly when questioned about Norta Global. Their lawyer later confirmed Norta Global as a client but gave no details about its sole owner: Rinson Jose.
Rinson Jose, a Norwegian citizen born in 1985, does not have a significant online presence. His LinkedIn profile shows a background in business administration, with education in India and Oslo. His professional experience includes various business roles in Oslo, and he is registered on an entrepreneurial platform seeking partners and funding.
Jose is also connected to another company called NortaLink; while the Norta Global website is currently nonexistent, its archived version has a link to NortaLink’s Facebook page.
RFE/RL tried to contact Jose through LinkedIn and a phone number connected to Norta Global, but received no responses.
While the Bulgarian State Agency for National Security said already on September 19 that, contrary to the reports about Norta Global, custom records showed no trace of pagers leaving Bulgarian territory, it came out with another statement early on September 20 denying the company’s role in the Lebanese explosions.
