Title: Explosion-Linked CEO Under Hungarian Secret Service Protection Says Mother
Key Takeaways:
– Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono’s company has ties to the recent pager explosions in Lebanon and Syria.
– The CEO is under protection from Hungarian secret services amid threats.
– Bársony-Arcidiacono has not made a public appearance since the attacks.
– The lethal strikes killed at least 37 people and left over 3,000 injured.
– Her company, BAC Consulting, is blamed for the pager production, but it claims to have only acted as an intermediary.
CEO’s Company Tied to Recent Explosions
Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, CEO of Budapest-based BAC Consulting, has recently been at the center of a controversy. Her company is allegedly linked to the thousands of pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria earlier this week. However, her mother, Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono, disclosed to The Associated Press on Friday that her daughter is under the protection of Hungarian secret services due to unidentified threats.
BAC Consulting Involvement
Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono has remained out of the public eye since the fatal synchronized explosion took place. Iranian-backed Hezbollah primarily blamed Israel for the attack. This attack left 37 people dead and more than 3,000 injured, including civilians.
BAC Consulting’s Role Questioned
Following the explosions, the company came under scrutiny. Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo initially authorized BAC Consulting to use its brand name on the pagers implicated in the initial attack. Yet, the Taiwan-based company stated that the Hungarian enterprise took on manufacturing responsibilities and designed the devices.
However, Hungarian authorities insist the pagers supplied to Hezbollah never entered Hungary. A statement from a government spokesperson maintained that BAC Consulting solely acted as a middleman. Corroborating this, Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono, the CEO’s mother, stated that her daughter only functioned as a broker and not directly involved. “The items did not pass through Budapest and were not produced in Hungary,” she clarified.
CEO’s Background and Professional Journey
Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono’s company, BAC Consulting, located in Budapest, shows 118 official activities, including sugar and oil production, jewelry retail, and natural gas extraction, on the corporate registry. BAC Consulting earned revenues of $725,000 and $593,000 in 2022 and 2023, respectively. As per company records, “equipment” constituted around 55% of its revenue in the previous year.
A multilingual physicist with significant international experience, Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono studied in Sicily, earned her Ph.D. from the University College London, and worked in Paris and Vienna before moving to Budapest to look after her grandmother.
Escalating Tensions
Notably, the Israeli military held a targeted strike in Beirut last Friday, killing eight people, including Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil. This action followed this week’s synchronized pager and walkie talkie explosions, pushing the region into further uncertainty. The United States had previously offered a bounty of up to $7 million for Aqil, who was a Hezbollah leader during the 1980s.
The White House advised both Israel and Hezbollah to refrain from further escalation. However, overnight, Israeli airstrikes continued throughout southern Lebanon while Hezbollah fired back in retaliation.
The investigation continues around the controversial pager manufacture, while the international community closely watches for further developments in the ongoing conflict.