Who is Rinson Jose, a Kerala-born Norwegian and what is his link to the Hezbollah pagers that exploded in Lebanon?

The investigation into the explosion of pagers used by Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has led the investigators to a Bulgarian firm, owned by a Norwegian citizen of Indian origin. Initial reports suggest that Norta Global Ltd, which is based in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, has been identified as the firm that supplied the pagers to Hezbollah.

What is Norta Global?

Norta Global was founded by Rinson Jose in April 2022 and is involved in consulting activities, including technology project management, tech allocation, promotion, and integration.Rinson, who holds a Norwegian passport and is a resident of Oslo, hails from Kerala's Wayanad.

CEDIT: FACEBOOK/ CARL NEAL

Who is Rinson Jose

According to his LinkedIn profile, Rinson is currently working with the Oslo-based DN Media Group in Norway. He also describes himself as an entrepreneur running NortaLink, an IT service, consultancy, procurement, and recruiting company since 2016. It identifies him as co-founder of an IT recruiting and business development firm, as well as IT recruitment firm StarCruiter.

CREDIT: Norta Global

After his suspected links to the pagers emerged, DN Media stated that Rinson has been on an overseas work trip since Tuesday, and they have not been able to reach him.

What Rinson's relatives said

According to Rinson's relatives in Kerala, he was working with some firm in Oslo, and they are unaware of him owning any companies.

¡°We speak daily over the phone. However, for the last three days, we have had no contact with Jose. He is a straightforward person, and we trust him fully. He will not be part of any wrongdoing. He may have been trapped in these blasts,¡± Thankachen, a relative of his, told IANS.

Where did Hezbollah get the pagers?

Thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah militants exploded on Tuesday, injuring over 2,000 people. The pagers had the branding of Taiwan-based Gold Apollo, which said BAC Consulting, a company based in the Hungarian capital Budapest, was the manufacturer of the devices.

CREDIT: REUTERS

BAC Consulting has also distanced itself from the pagers and said that while they have worked with Gold Apollo, they had nothing to do with the exploded devices.

It is believed that Norta acquired the pagers, which were shipped to Norway and then to Lebanon. Somewhere during the entire process from manufacturing to delivery, suspected Israeli operatives managed to implant explosives inside them.

For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.