INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REQUEST ISSUED BY NORWAY FOR A PERSON LINKED TO EXPLODING PAGERS

Fri 27 September 2024:

Norwegian police have issued an international search request for Rinson Jose, a Norwegian-Indian man linked to the sale of pagers to the Lebanese group, Hezbollah, that exploded last week, they said on Thursday, Reuters reports.

Jose, 39, disappeared while on a work trip to the US last week. He is a founder of a Bulgarian company that was reportedly part of the pager supply chain.

“Yesterday, September 25, the Oslo police district received a missing person report in connection with the pager case,” Oslo police said in an email to Reuters.

“A missing person’s case has been opened, and we have sent out an international warrant for the person,” it added.

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Jose declined to comment on the pagers when reached by phone last Wednesday, 18 September, and hung up when asked about the Bulgarian business. He did not return repeated calls and text messages.

Jose’s Norwegian employer, DN Media Group, said he left for a conference in Boston on 17 September, and the company has not been able to reach him since 18 September. He works at the group’s sales department.

In 2022, Jose founded Sofia-based company, Norta Global Ltd, Bulgaria’s corporate registry shows.

Bulgaria has investigated the company’s role in supply of booby-trapped pagers, but has found no evidence that they were made or exported from the country.

No contact with family

Jose’s family in India, speaking to IANS, expressed disbelief at the accusations. “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,” said Thankachen, a relative of Jose.

Jose, who holds an MBA from India’s Pondicherry University and a Master’s in International Social Welfare and Health Policy from Oslo Metropolitan University, moved to Norway more than a decade ago. His relatives also noted that he last visited his home in Wayanad in November and returned to Norway in January. His father, Jose Moothedam, runs a tailoring shop in Mananthavady.

Further adding to the intrigue, Jose’s social media profiles describe him as an employee of the DN Media Group and an entrepreneur running Nortalink, an IT and consulting firm based in Norway.

Officials from Taiwan, Bulgaria, and other nations continue to probe the details behind the attacks. Taiwan-based Gold Apollo denied involvement, with Taiwan’s Economy Minister, Kuo Jyh-huei, explaining, “The components are (mainly) low-end IC (integrated circuits) and batteries,” clarifying that the devices were not intended for weaponization.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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