Norway launches investigation into alleged links to exploding pagers in Lebanon

By Nerijus Adomaitis

OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s Security Police (PST) has launched a preliminary investigation into reports that a Norwegian company is linked to the sale of pagers to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that emerged last week, a police lawyer told Reuters.

Last week, thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in Lebanon over two days, killing at least 39 people and injuring thousands. Many believe the attacks were carried out by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

It is unclear how and when the pagers were weaponized to detonate them remotely. Taiwan, Hungary and Bulgaria are already investigating possible supply chain links.

“PST has opened a preliminary investigation to determine whether there are grounds to open a (full-scale) investigation based on allegations in the media that a Norwegian company may have been involved in distributing pagers to Hezbollah,” PST lawyer Haris Hrenovica said in a text message to Reuters.

He had previously told the Norwegian news agency NTB that the police currently had no concrete suspicions.

Bulgarian authorities said last week they were investigating Sofia-based Norta Global Ltd after Hungarian media reported that the company was involved in the sale of the pagers.

The company was founded in 2022 by Norwegian citizen Rinson Jose, 39, according to the Bulgarian commercial register. He signed the company’s articles of association at the Bulgarian consulate in Oslo, according to documents seen by Reuters.

Jose declined to comment on the pagers by phone last Wednesday and hung up when asked about the Bulgarian deal. He did not respond to repeated calls and text messages.

When Reuters tried to call him on Tuesday this week, the call was forwarded to an answering machine.

Jose’s Linkedin profile shows that he has been employed by DN Media Group since February 2020. DN Media Group said he worked in the sales department and left for a conference in Boston on September 17.

According to Norwegian media, he last contacted his colleagues by email on September 18. His employer told Reuters that he has not been able to contact him since then.

Reuters has found no evidence to support a connection between Norta Global and DN Media Group.

(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; additional reporting by James Pearson in London and Edward McAllister in Sofia; editing by Gwladys Fouche and Alex Richardson)