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Businessman probably related to exploding gadgets in Lebanon missing in Norway

At this point, there is no evidence indicating that Rinson Jose had any knowledge about the operation to create the explosive gadgets

LONDON, September 20. /TASS/. Norwegian entrepreneur Rinson Jose, who owns Bulgarian company Norta Global presumably involved in the deliveries of explosive pagers to Lebanon, disappeared on the day when they started to detonate all over the country, the Daily Mail newspaper reported.

According to the report, Jose left his apartment in Oslo suburbs on Tuesday and departed on a pre-planned business trip. His primary employer, Norwegian media conglomerate NHST, has been unable to contact him since and reported to the country’s domestic intelligence service on Wednesday.

On the following day, Oslo police said it had launched a preliminary investigation "into the information that has come to light."

At this point, there is no evidence indicating that Jose had any knowledge about the operation to create the explosive gadgets.

Earlier, the Hungarian portal Telex claimed that the pagers that exploded in Lebanon may have been purchased from the Taiwanese company Gold Apollo by the Bulgarian firm Norta Global Ltd, rather than the Hungarian company BAC Consulting. According to the report, BAC Consulting, registered in Budapest, acted only as an intermediary, facilitating the agreement with the Taiwanese firm, while the Sofia-based Norta Global Ltd was directly involved in procuring the pagers. Telex alleges that Norta Global Ltd "organized the delivery and sold" the pagers to Hezbollah.

Later, Bulgaria’s State National Security Agency said in response to statements made by Hungarian media that the Bulgarian firm was not involved.

Multiple explosions of communication devices occurred in Lebanon on September 17 and 18. On the first day, a large number of pagers blew up almost simultaneously in various regions of Lebanon. According to the country’s Health Ministry, 12 people, including two children, were killed, and 2,800 more were hospitalized. On the following day, a new wave of blasts swept across Lebanon. This time, walkie-talkies, phones, fingerprint scanners, as well as devices operating on solar and lithium-ion batteries exploded. At least 25 were killed and over 600 were injured in the repeat attack.

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