A woman whose firm was linked to exploding pagers is being protected by Hungarian intelligence, her mother said.

A woman whose company is connected by thousands the pagers went off in Lebanon and Syria this week is under the protection of Hungarian secrets, his mother told the Associated Press on Friday.

Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono has not appeared in public since she was killed in a targeted attack at the same time. Iran-backed Hezbollah on Tuesday and that is highly suspect in Israel. Listed as CEO of Budapest-based BAC Consulting, the owner of the Taiwanese pear brand said responsible for the execution of the mission.

Her mother, Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono, told the AP that her daughter had received unspecified threats and “is currently in a safe place protected by Hungarian secrets.”

“Hungarian intelligence has advised him not to talk to the media,” he said by phone from Sicily.

Hungary’s national security authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the AP could not independently verify the claim.

Two days of raids this week, first to target pagers then walkie-talkiesit killed at least 37 people and injured more than 3,000, including civilians. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.

Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono’s company came under scrutiny after Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese company, said it authorized BAC Consulting to use its name on the pagers used during the first attack, but the Hungarian company was responsible for production and design.

On Wednesday, a Hungarian government spokesman said the pagers delivered to Hezbollah were never in Hungary, and that BAC Consulting only acted as a consultant.

Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono, who also goes by the name Beatrice, echoed that.

“He is not involved in any way, he was just a seller. The things did not go through Budapest. … They were not produced in Hungary,” he said.

BAC Consulting shares the ground floor of a modest building in Budapest with many other businesses, but has no physical offices and uses the premises in the Hungarian capital – like other companies based there – only as an official address, according to a woman from the Hungarian capital. the building earlier this week and declined to be named.

The company’s website said it focuses on “environmental, development, and international affairs.” The register of companies lists 118 official businesses including sugar and oil production, retail jewelry sales and natural gas drilling.

The company brought in $725,000 in revenue in 2022 and $593,000 in 2023, according to the company’s registry. Last year, the company spent about $324,000, or about 55% of its revenue, on “equipment.”

Business records accessed by CBS News from the Hungarian Ministry of Justice show that BAC Consulting was registered as a company in May 2022.

Beatrix Bársony-Arcidiacono said her daughter was born in Sicily and attended the University of Catania before pursuing a Ph.D. in London. She worked in Paris and Vienna before moving to Budapest in October 2016 to care for her elderly grandmother.

On social media, young Bársony-Arcidiacono describes himself as a strategic consultant and business developer who has worked for large international organizations and architectural firms. His company’s website says he has a doctorate in physics.

The 49-year-old received her degree from University College London, where she enrolled in the early 2000s, according to her LinkedIn page. There, he worked with Ákos Kövér, a Hungarian physicist and retired professor, who confirmed his enrollment.

Kövér said in an email to the AP: “At that time, we also published joint articles. I don’t know of other things he did.”

He trained at the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2008 and 2009, as confirmed by the agency, and once co-wrote a paper for a UNESCO conference on groundwater management.

On his social media accounts, he has posted pictures of France, the UK and other places, mostly selfies or pictures of places he says he is visiting. Few friends respond to her messages, some invite her to visit or comment on her appearance.

He speaks English, French, Italian and Hungarian, according to his social media, where he has made comments criticizing Ukraine or supporting children in Gaza.

At the time, the Israeli military claimed to have done a “targeted strike” in Beirut on Friday, at least eight people were killed, including Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil.

The United States had previously offered “a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to the identification, location, arrest and/or conviction,” of Aqil, who they say was a Hezbollah leader in the 1980s, the group said. responsible for the bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut in 1983.

The White House previously warned Israel and Hezbollah against “escalation of any kind” following this week’s coordinated pager and walkie talkie blasts, but overnight, Israeli warplanes carried out multiple strikes in southern Lebanon, too. Hezbollah continued to fire back.