A woman connected to thousands of companies Exploded pagers His mother told The Associated Press on Friday that he has been under the protection of Hungarian secret services this week in Lebanon and Syria.
Cristiana Parsoni-Arcidiacono has not appeared in public since the fatal attack, which took place at the same time. Iran-backed Hezbollah On Tuesday it was widely blamed on Israel. He is listed as the CEO of Budapest-based PAC Consulting, which holds the Taiwanese trademark of Pagers. Responsible for the production of devices.
Her mother, Beatrix Parsoni-Arcidiacono, told the AP that her daughter had received unspecified threats and was “currently in a safe place protected by the Hungarian secret services.
“The Hungarian secret services advised not to talk to the media,” he said by phone from Sicily.
Hungary’s national security authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the AP could not independently verify the claim.
Two days of attacks this week, first Targeting pagers Later on Mobile phonesAt least 37 people were killed and more than 3,000 injured, including civilians. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel, which neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
Cristiana Parsoni-Arcidiacono via Facebook/via REUTERS
Cristiana Parsoni-Arcidiacono’s company, the Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo, authorized BAC Consulting to use its name on the pagers used in the first attack, but came under scrutiny after it said the Hungarian firm was responsible for production and design.
On Wednesday, a Hungarian government spokesman said the pagers supplied to Hezbollah were never in Hungary and that BAC Consulting merely acted as an intermediary.
Beatrix Parsoni-Arcidiacono, who also uses the name Beatrice, echoes it.
“She was not involved in any way, she was just a broker. The goods did not go through Budapest. They were not produced in Hungary,” he said.
BAC Consulting shares the ground floor of a modest building in Budapest with several other companies, but like many other companies there, uses the property in Hungary’s capital only as an official address, but with several other companies. building earlier this week and declined to be named.
The firm’s website said it specializes in “environment, development and international affairs”. The corporate registry lists 118 official activities, including sugar and oil production, retail jewelry and natural gas extraction.
The company brought in revenue of $725,000 in 2022 and $593,000 in 2023, according to company filings. Last year, the company spent nearly $324,000, or 55% of its revenue, on “equipment.”
Business records accessed by CBS News from Hungary’s Ministry of Justice show BAC Consulting was registered as a company in May 2022.
Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono said her daughter was born in Sicily and studied at the University of Catania before pursuing a Ph.D. in London. She worked in Paris and Vienna before moving to Budapest in October 2016 to care for her elderly grandmother.
On social mediaThe younger Bársony-Arcidiacono describes himself as a strategic consultant and business developer who has worked for major international corporations and venture capital firms. His institution’s website says he holds a doctorate in physics.
The 49-year-old graduated from University College London, where he attended in the early to mid-2000s, according to his LinkedIn page. There, he worked with Hungarian physicist and now-retired professor Agos Kovar, who confirmed his post.
Gower said in an email to the AP: “At the time, we also published some joint articles. I was not aware of his other activities.”
He interned at the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2008 and 2009, the agency confirmed, and once co-wrote a paper for a UNESCO conference discussing groundwater management.
On her social media accounts, she posted pictures from France, England and elsewhere, mostly selfies or photos of places she said she was visiting. Some friends contacted her with messages, some invited her to visit or commented on her appearance.
He speaks English, French, Italian and Hungarian, and according to his social media, he has occasionally made comments critical of Ukraine or in support of children in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had carried out “Target Strike” At least eight people were killed in Beirut on Friday, including Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil.
America Before”Rewards up to $7 million For information leading to the identity, location, arrest and/or conviction of Akil, who claimed to be the leader of Hezbollah in the 1980s and claimed responsibility for the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut.
The White House had earlier warned both Israel and Hezbollah against “any escalation” following this week’s synchronized pager and walkie-talkie blasts, but overnight, Israeli warplanes launched dozens of strikes across southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has continued to fire back.
