Bulgaria's state security agency, DANS, announced on Thursday that it is investigating a company registered in the country for its potential involvement in the sale of pagers to Hezbollah, following a series of explosions in Lebanon earlier this week. The incident has raised concerns about the supply chain of these devices and their distribution to terrorist groups.
According to Reuters and Bulgarian media, DANS is collaborating with the interior ministry to probe the role of an unnamed Bulgarian-registered company. This announcement comes in the wake of media reports alleging that a Sofia-based firm, Norta Global Ltd, facilitated the sale of pagers that exploded across Lebanon on Tuesday, resulting in 11 fatalities and approximately 4,000 injuries.
Reuters was unable to confirm the connection to Norta Global Ltd immediately, and company officials did not respond to requests for comment. A lawyer who registered the company at an apartment block in Sofia also declined to answer questions from the news agency.
Adding to the complexity of the situation, Hungarian news site Telex reported that the sale was facilitated by Norta, citing unnamed sources. This claim has yet to be independently verified.
DANS emphasized in its statement that it had not detected any shipments of the suspected pagers on Bulgarian territory. The agency's investigation aims to determine the extent of any Bulgarian involvement in the supply chain that led to these devices reaching Hezbollah.
An investigation by Bulgarian National Radio found no physical presence of Norta Global Ltd. at its registered Sofia address or evidence of its Norwegian owner visiting Bulgaria.
Conflicting accounts have emerged regarding the pagers' origin. Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, managing director of the Budpaest-based BAC Consulting, told NBC News her company was only an intermediary. However, Gold Apollo, the Taiwanese firm first believed to be the pagers' manufacturer, claims BAC Consulting designed and produced the devices under a trademark agreement.
The incident has exposed a complex network behind these compromised devices. A day after the initial pager explosions, a second wave involving walkie-talkies caused 20 more deaths and over 450 injuries in Lebanon.
Hungarian officials denied any physical presence of BAC Consulting in Hungary or pager shipments through the country, insisting the company acted solely as a commercial intermediary.
As investigations continue, questions remain about the exact chain of events that led to these deadly explosions and the role of various companies in the distribution of potentially dangerous communication devices to Hezbollah.
