The name of an Indian emigrant, Rinson Jose, now a Norwegian citizen, has surfaced in the investigation into the deadly pager blasts in Lebanon. The explosions, targeting Hezbollah operatives, left 12 people dead and thousands injured. Originally from Wayanad, Kerala, Jose migrated to Norway and now reportedly owns a company in Bulgaria that has been linked to supplying pagers involved in the incident.Initial findings and company involvementEarly reports suggested that Joses Bulgarian company was involved in providing pagers used in the blasts. These devices, allegedly modified by Mossad to conceal small amounts of explosives, were initially traced back to a Taiwan-based manufacturer, Gold Apollo. However, Gold Apollo later clarified that the specific pager model, AR-924, was produced and sold by BAC Consulting KFT, a company headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, authorized to use Gold Apollos trademark.Bulgarian security probe and clarificationsOn Thursday, Bulgarian state security agency DANS began coordinating with the countrys interior ministry, probing the involvement of a company identified as Norta Global Ltd. Registered in Sofia in 2022, Norta Global is owned by Rinson Jose. Despite this, a day later, DANS confirmed that the pagers used in Lebanon were neither imported, exported, nor manufactured in Bulgaria.DANS stated, “Following verifications, it has been indisputably established that no communication equipment matching those used in the September 17 explosions was linked to Bulgaria.” The agency further added that neither the company nor its owner were involved in transactions related to terrorism financing.Norwegian police investigation and Joses backgroundNorwegian authorities have launched a preliminary investigation based on the emerging details. According to reports, Rinson Jose moved to Norway to pursue higher studies and briefly worked in London before returning to Oslo. His LinkedIn profile shows he has worked for five years in digital customer support for Norwegian press group DN Media.Family in shockJoses family has expressed disbelief at his alleged involvement. Thankachen, a relative, stated, “He is a straightforward person and we trust him fully. He would not be part of any wrongdoing. He may have been trapped in this situation.” The family has not been able to contact Jose or his wife for several days.
