Tokyo, Sep 19 (EFE).- Japanese telecommunications company Icom said Thursday that it was no longer producing the model of walkie-talkies used in a new wave of explosions involving wireless devices in Lebanon that killed at least 26 people and injured hundreds a day earlier.
“Earlier today in worldwide media, there have been reports that two-way radio devices bearing the Icom logo have exploded in Lebanon,” Icom said in a statement.
“We are currently investigating the facts surrounding this matter. We will release updated information as it becomes available on our website,” it added.
In a later statement, the Japanese firm said that the IC-V82 device in question was a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014 but discontinued about 10 years ago.
“Since then, it has not been shipped from our company. The production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit has also been discontinued, and a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company,” Icom said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference that the government was aware of the reports and was gathering information on the matter.
The wave of explosions in walkie talkies and other communications devices comes a day after a similar mass attack involving exploding pagers belonging to members of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, which killed at least 12 people – including two children – and injured thousands of others.
The Lebanese Civil Defense reported that its teams were working to extinguish fires that broke out in dozens of properties and vehicles due to the detonations of wireless devices and fingerprint readers.
The explosions have once again raised fears of the outbreak of an all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel, which has already intensified its rhetoric in the recent days, insisting on the need to end the presence of the group on the border. EFE
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