Japanese Radio Manufacturer Denies Involvement in Lebanon Explosions
TOKYO — A Japanese handheld radio manufacturer has distanced itself from walkie-talkies bearing its logo that exploded in Lebanon, saying it discontinued production of the devices a decade ago.
At least 20 people were killed and 450 injured after hundreds of walkie-talkies, some used by the armed group Hezbollah, exploded across Lebanon on Wednesday.
No Longer in Production
The devices, according to photos and video of the aftermath of the attack, appear to be IC-V82 transceivers made by Icom, an Osaka-based telecommunications manufacturer.
But Icom says it hasn’t produced or exported IC-V82s, nor the batteries needed to operate them, for 10 years.
Denial from Asian Companies
It is the second Asian company to be embroiled in bombing incidents in Lebanon this week, after thousands of exploding pagers seemingly linked to Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo killed at least 12 people and injured more than 2,000.
Gold Apollo’s founder Hsu Ching-Kuang flatly denied his company had anything to do with the attacks, saying he licensed his trade mark to a company in Hungary called BAC Consulting, whom the BBC has been unable to contact.
Investigation Underway
Icom told the BBC it was aware of reports that two-way radio devices bearing its logo had exploded in Lebanon, and said it was investigating the matter.
“The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company,” Icom said in a statement.
Counterfeit Concerns
Earlier, a sales executive at the US subsidiary of Icom told The Associated Press news agency that the exploded radio devices in Lebanon appeared to be knockoff products that were not made by the company – adding that it was easy to find counterfeit versions online.
Global Impact
Lebanon’s Annahar newspaper on Wednesday said the Icom walkie-talkies were old handsets.
Reports suggest the walkie-talkies that exploded were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, according to a security source speaking to Reuters news agency.
Icom produces walkie-talkies and radio devices for marine, aviation and land users, and considers itself a “world leader in the amateur radio market”, according to its website.
Investigating Connections
BBC Verify investigated BAC Consulting, the company linked to the pagers involved in Tuesday’s explosions, and found that the firm has a single shareholder and is registered to a building in the Hungarian capital Budapest’s 14th district.
Its CEO Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono said she knew nothing about the explosions. “I don’t make the pagers. I am just the intermediate. I think you got it wrong,” she told NBC. — BBC
