Who is Hungarian Mystery Women Whose Company is Linked to Exploding Pagers in Lebanon

Budapest: Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono is Italian-Hungarian CEO of Hungary-based BAC Consulting, who has been linked to the incident involving explosion of pagers targeting Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, which are widely believed to be done by Israel, as per a global news agency. 

Despite the allegations, Barsony-Arcidiacono denies any direct involvement in the incident that killed 12 and injured over 2,000 people.

Cristiana, is fluent in seven languages and holds a PhD in particle physics. She owns an apartment in Budapest adorned with her own pastel nude drawings. Her career has taken her across Europe and Africa, often focused on humanitarian efforts.

However, her company came under scrutiny when it was revealed that BAC Consulting had licensed the pager design from Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo. In response to the allegations, Barsony-Arcidiacono told NBC News, "I am just the intermediary. I think you got it wrong." Since making that statement, she has remained out of public view, and neighbors report they haven’t seen her. She has not responded to calls or emails from Reuters, and her downtown Budapest apartment remains shuttered.  

Acquaintances describe her as a highly intelligent woman but suggest she has had a transient career, moving through short-term jobs without settling into one. Some, speaking anonymously, believe she could be easily influenced or misled. "Good-willed, not a business type," said one acquaintance, adding that she often pursued new ventures with great enthusiasm.

Kilian Kleinschmidt, a former UN humanitarian administrator who hired Cristiana for a six-month Dutch-funded project in Tunisia in 2019, had a different perspective. He described her as a difficult manager and ultimately ended her contract early. "Cristiana... that was one of the biggest mistakes of my life," Kleinschmidt told Reuters, reflecting on his decision to hire her.

Despite these accounts, Barsony-Arcidiacono’s whereabouts remain unknown, and further attempts to contact her have been unsuccessful. Her art, however, remains visible in the small vestibule of her Budapest apartment, where red and orange pastel life drawings are taped to the wall.

Neighbors describe her as kind and communicative, though she hasn’t attended the local art club she once frequented in recent years. Despite her seemingly outgoing personality, Barsony-Arcidiacono remains at the center of a complex and troubling investigation.