The most wanted in the world / Who is the 39-year-old Norwegian who sold radio receivers to Hezbollah

2024-09-20 20:43:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The most wanted in the world / Who is the 39-year-old Norwegian who sold radio

Rinson Jose

The owner of the fictitious Bulgarian company Norta Global, allegedly responsible for selling radio receivers that exploded across Lebanon, disappeared on the day of the explosion and has been wanted ever since.

Entrepreneur Rinson Jose (39 years old), who lives in Norway and is originally from India, is listed as the owner of Norta Global.

On Tuesday, Jose was supposed to leave his apartment on the outskirts of Oslo and go on a previously scheduled business trip, but his main employer, the Norwegian media conglomerate NHST Media Group, was unable to reach him and on Wednesday at evening informed the Norwegian intelligence service of his disappearance.

A day later, local police announced that they had launched a "preliminary investigation into the information that has come to light". "We are aware of the information, but we have no comment on it," said Unni Grøndal, a spokeswoman for the Norwegian police in Oslo.

Rinson Jose

There is no evidence at this time to suggest that Jose deliberately helped Israel hack radio stations to bomb members of Hezbollah or that he was aware of the Tel Aviv operation.

Jose moved to Norway in 2015 after two years working for a London company. He lives in Oslo with his wife and holds Norwegian citizenship, while his neighbors in a quiet suburb of the Norwegian capital told Reuters they did not know much about him.

However, one of his friends told the Norwegian news website 'VG' that she was shocked to learn that his name was linked to the explosions in Lebanon.

"My whole circle of friends loved him. He saved his hair for years to donate to cancer patients. To me, he's a man with a big heart," she said.

Rinson Jose

As for "Norta Global", the company was founded in April 2022. The headquarters of the company is registered in a building in the city of Sofia where almost 200 other companies are registered. The company advertised consulting, technology integration, recruiting and outsourcing services on its official website before it was deleted on Thursday.

"Are you looking for a company capable of helping you succeed or finding the right technology solution for you? 'Look no further,'" read the website, which had English versions, Bulgarian and Norwegian.

Reuters writes that it contacted Jose, but he ended the call when asked about the business in Bulgaria. Earlier, the Hungarian website Telex claimed that 'Norta Global' was directly involved in the procurement of the radio receivers, claiming that the company "arranged the shipment and sold the equipment to Hezbollah".

But then the Bulgarian State Agency for National Security announced that the Bulgarian company had nothing to do with the purchase of the radio receivers that exploded.