Unraveling the Mystery of the Woman Behind the Licensed Exploding Pagers, Reported by Reuters

By Krisztina Than

BUDAPEST – Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, a 49-year-old Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of BAC Consulting in Hungary, is a woman of remarkable accomplishments. She speaks seven languages, holds a PhD in particle physics, and has made her home in Budapest, where her apartment is adorned with her own pastel drawings of nudes. Her professional journey has seen her engaged in humanitarian work across Africa and Europe.

However, Barsony-Arcidiacono has denied any responsibility for the deadly explosions of pagers that resulted in 12 fatalities and over 2,000 injuries in Lebanon this week. Her company was reported to have licensed the design for these pagers from the original Taiwanese manufacturer, Gold Apollo. In response to inquiries, she asserted, “I am just the intermediary. I think you got it wrong.”

Since the incident, she has maintained a low profile, with neighbors stating they have not seen her, and she has not responded to multiple attempts to contact her. A visit to her residence revealed a closed door, leaving questions about her whereabouts.

On Saturday, the Hungarian government announced that its intelligence services had conducted several interviews with Barsony-Arcidiacono following the explosions. In a clarification after the publication of this incident, the government emphasized that BAC Consulting was merely a "trading-intermediary company" without a manufacturing facility in Hungary, and that the pagers had never been transported to the country.

Conversations with acquaintances and former colleagues depict Barsony-Arcidiacono as an intellectually gifted individual with a dynamic career characterized by short-term roles rather than long-term commitments. One acquaintance described her as "good-willed, not a business type," noting her enthusiasm for new experiences and her propensity to easily trust others.

Kilian Kleinschmidt, a seasoned ex-U.N. humanitarian administrator, hired Barsony-Arcidiacono in 2019 to oversee a short-term program in Tunisia aimed at training Libyans in areas like hydroponics and business development. He later expressed regret about his decision to hire her, citing management disagreements that led to her premature departure from the role.

At her Budapest home, a small vestibule exhibits life drawings in reds and oranges. When visited, her apartment door was ajar but was later found shut without any response to the doorbell.

A resident of the building who has lived there for two years described Barsony-Arcidiacono as kind and communicative. She participated in an art club but had not attended in recent years, according to the group’s organizer, who noted her outgoing personality.

A former schoolmate revealed that Barsony-Arcidiacono grew up in a working-class family in Santa Venerina, Sicily, and was somewhat reserved in her youth. She earned her PhD in physics at University College London in the early 2000s, but it appears she did not pursue a scientific career afterward.

According to Akos Torok, a retired physicist and former professor, Barsony-Arcidiacono has not engaged in scientific work since earning her doctorate. Her resume, which she used to secure her job with Kleinschmidt, referenced additional graduate degrees in politics and development, but those claims could not be verified.

She subsequently detailed various roles in NGO projects across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East on her CV. In another document associated with BAC Consulting, she claimed to be a board member of an educational charity in New York, but the organization’s founder stated that Barsony-Arcidiacono had never held any position there.

Moreover, her CV indicated she was a "Project Manager" at the International Atomic Energy Agency, but the agency’s records suggest she only interned there for eight months.

BAC Consulting’s website, now taken down, provided little insight into its operations in Hungary, with its registered office located in a serviced office in a suburban area of Budapest.

In her professional descriptions, Barsony-Arcidiacono portrayed herself as a scientist leveraging her diverse background for interdisciplinary projects related to strategic decision-making in areas like water and climate policy. She emphasized her analytical skills and enjoyment of working in multicultural environments where diversity and integrity are prioritized.