Lebanon pager blasts: Norway issues search request for Kerala-born Rinson Jose

The mystery around Rinson Jose, a Kerala native who has been linked to the pager blasts in Lebanon, has intensified further with the Norwegian police issuing an international search request for the seminarian-turned-businessman.

While a search was on for Jose ever since the serial pager blasts rocked Lebanon on September 17, his family had said he was in the US. However, now it has reportedly emerged that though he had indeed gone to the US on a work trip, he has gone missing since last week.

How Rinson Jose is linked to the pagers

Rinson Jose, a Wayanad-born man, is linked to the sale of the rigged pagers to the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. Jose is listed as the founder and sole owner of a Bulgarian company, Norta Global Ltd, registered in April 2022.

Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, 49, the Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of the Hungary-based BAC Consulting, was also a suspect in the case because her company had a three-year licensing agreement with the Taiwanese firm that makes the Gold Apollo pagers. Cristiana has claimed she was only “an intermediary in the transaction” and it was Norta Global that was behind the pager deal with Hezbollah.

Also read: Lebanon pager blasts: Surveillance stepped up around family home of 'missing' Kerala native

Bulgaria found no evidence

Kripos, the Norwegian criminal police that handle international requests, has reportedly confirmed that a request for an international search for Jose has been sent.

Bulgaria has also investigated Norta Global’s possible role in the supply of the rigged pagers, but has reportedly found no evidence so far that they were made in the country or exported from there.

About Rinson Jose

Jose, 37, reportedly migrated to Norway from Kerala more than a decade ago. He has an MBA degree from Pondicherry University and a Masters in International Social Welfare and Health Policy from Oslo Metropolitan University.

His LinkedIn profile says he has been employed with the DN Media Group since March 2022. His profile also shows that he runs a company called NortaLink, an IT services, consulting, procurement, and recruiting company.

Jose suddenly came under the scanner after the September 17-18 pager and walkie-talkie blasts in Lebanon that left at least 40 dead and thousands injured.

Also read: Lebanon attacks: Kerala-born Norwegian citizen linked to sale of pagers from Bulgarian firm

Israel hand suspected

It is widely believed that Israel was behind the attacks because of its history of carrying out similar tech-based attacks and its engagement in a confrontation with the Iran-backed Hezbollah ever since the Gaza war broke out about a year ago.

Israel has so far neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the pager and radio blasts but has increased its strikes on Lebanon, apparently killing Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.