Taiwan questions two in probe into Lebanon pager attack

Taiwan said on Friday that hundreds of pagers that exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday were not made in Taiwan after prosecutors questioned two people associated with Gold Apollo, the Taiwanese company that produced the communication devices.

Two people from Taiwanese companies were questioned as part of a probe into pagers that exploded while being used by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, investigators said Friday, as top officials insisted the devices were not from the island.

Questions and speculation have swirled over where the devices came from and how they were supplied to the militant group after hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies detonated across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 37 people and wounding nearly 3,000.

The New York Times reported this week that Israel had inserted explosive material into a shipment of pagers from Taiwan's Gold Apollo, citing American and other anonymous officials.

But Gold Apollo head Hsu Ching-kuang denied producing the devices, pointing the finger instead at Hungary-based partner BAC Consulting KFT, which Gold Apollo had allowed to use its trademark.

(AFP)


Read more on FRANCE 24 English

Read also:
Israel says it killed Hezbollah commander in Beirut strike
Lebanon pager explosions: Long-term operation leading up to attack
What we know about Lebanon’s exploding devices