Rinson Jose, a 37-year-old Indian emigrant to Norway, has been linked to the recent Hezbollah pager blasts in Lebanon that killed 12 people and left thousands injured. Jose, originally from Wayanad, Kerala, moved to Norway for higher studies and is now under investigation due to his connection with a company reportedly involved in supplying the pagers used in the blasts.
Rinson Jose migrated to Norway a few years ago to pursue higher education. After a brief stint working in London, he returned to Oslo, where he now resides with his wife. His twin brother is based in London, and both are in regular contact with their family in Kerala. However, relatives revealed they haven’t heard from him in the last three days. “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.
Norta Global’s Involvement
Jose is the owner of Norta Global Ltd, a Bulgaria-based company registered in Sofia in April 2022. The company reported a revenue of $725,000 (approximately Rs 6 crore) last year for consulting activities outside the European Union. Bulgarian state security agency DANS initially investigated Norta Global, suspecting it had a role in supplying the pagers used in the blasts.
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However, in a statement on Friday, DANS clarified that “no communication equipment corresponding to those that exploded on September 17 was imported, exported, or manufactured in Bulgaria.” The agency also confirmed that neither Jose nor his company engaged in any transactions related to the sale or purchase of the pagers or any merchandise linked to terrorism financing.
The Pager Explosions
The blasts in Lebanon were caused by pagers reportedly modified by Mossad to conceal explosives. Initial reports indicated that the pagers were manufactured by Taiwan-based company Gold Apollo, but the model in question, AR-924, was later traced to BAC Consulting KFT, a company based in Hungary. This revelation adds complexity to the investigation, with authorities trying to piece together how the devices ended up in the hands of Hezbollah operatives.
Ongoing Investigations
Authorities in Norway have also launched a preliminary investigation into Jose following the information that surfaced in Lebanon and Bulgaria. His employer, DN Media, where he worked in digital customer support for nearly five years, has been unable to contact him since Tuesday, according to Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang.
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While his company Norta Global remains under scrutiny, relatives and those close to him maintain that Jose is unlikely to have any direct involvement in the blasts. “We are very concerned as we have not been able to reach either Jose or his wife,” added Thankachen.
As the investigation deepens, authorities in Bulgaria, Norway, and Lebanon are working together to unravel the complex network behind the pager blasts. With Jose’s company being cleared of direct involvement in the sale of the pagers, attention now shifts to uncovering how the devices made their way to Lebanon and whether Jose was unwittingly caught up in a larger scheme.
