Lebanon Explosion: Particle Physics PhD and Mystery Woman Linked to Deadly Blasts Disappears

 

Lebanon Explosion: Particle Physics PhD and Mystery Woman Linked to Deadly Blasts Disappears

Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, a CEO fluent in multiple languages and holding a PhD in particle physics, refutes any involvement in the fatal pager explosions in Lebanon, despite her company's authorization of the design.

Fluent in seven languages, possessing a PhD in particle physics, an artist with an apartment adorned with her own nude sketches in Budapest, Barsony-Arcidiacono traversed Africa and Europe engaged in humanitarian endeavors.

Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, an Italian-Hungarian entrepreneur aged 49, the CEO and proprietor of BAC Consulting in Hungary, maintains she did not manufacture the detonating pagers responsible for the deaths of 12 individuals and injuries to over 2,000 in Lebanon this past week.

Following the public disclosure that her company had acquired the design for the pagers from the original manufacturer Gold Apollo in Taiwan, Barsony-Arcidiacono informed NBC News that she was not responsible for their production. "I serve as an intermediary in this process." "I believe there may be a misunderstanding," she stated. Since that time, she has refrained from making any public appearances. Neighbors have not reported any sightings of her. Barsony-Arcidiacono has failed to respond to multiple attempts by Reuters to contact her, including calls, emails, and a visit to her residence in downtown Budapest. The flat in a historic Budapest building, which had an open door leading to a vestibule earlier in the week, has now been closed. Following the release of this article, Reuters made another attempt to contact her, but did not receive a response. The Hungarian government declared on Wednesday that BAC Consulting is a "trading-intermediary company" devoid of any manufacturing presence in the country, and clarified that the individuals associated with the company have never visited Hungary. Discussions with acquaintances and former coworkers portray a highly intellectual woman with a transient career, characterized by a series of short-term positions in which she failed to establish long-term stability. One of her acquaintances, who preferred to remain anonymous along with others who socialized with her in Budapest, described her as "well-intentioned, not business-oriented." official, has stated that the individual gave off an impression of being consistently eager to embrace fresh opportunities and was quick to accept ideas. Kilian Kleinschmidt, a seasoned former United Nations (U.N.) official, has expressed this observation. The humanitarian administrator who appointed Barsony-Arcidiacono in 2019 to oversee a six-month program funded by the Netherlands to educate Libyans in Tunisia on hydroponics, IT, and business development, regretted the decision, referring to it as a significant error. Following conflicts regarding her handling of staff, he stated that he terminated her employment prior to the expiration of her contract, a claim which Reuters was unable to substantiate. At her residence in Budapest, a steel gate surrounds a petite entryway where various life drawings of nude figures, depicted in red and orange pastels, are displayed on the wall. Upon initial inspection on Wednesday, Reuters observed that the inner door to her apartment was slightly open, only to find it closed upon revisiting the building on Thursday. The doorbell went unanswered.

An occupant of the building for the last two years mentioned that Barsony-Arcidiacono was already a resident when she moved in, characterizing her as kind, quiet, but communicative.

According to the organizer of a Budapest art club where she used to practice drawing, Barsony-Arcidiacono had not been attending for a couple of years. The organizer described her as more of a businesswoman than an artist, yet upbeat and sociable.

A former schoolmate mentioned that Barsony-Arcidiacono grew up in Santa Venerina, near Catania in eastern Sicily, in a family with a working father and a homemaker mother. She attended high school in the vicinity. He characterized her as a reserved youth.

In the early 2000s, she obtained her doctoral degree in physics from University College London. Her thesis on positrons, a subatomic particle that possesses the mass of an electron and a positive charge, is still accessible on the UCL website. However, it seems that she decided not to pursue a career in the scientific field.

"As far as I know, she has not engaged in scientific research since then," stated Akos Torok, a retired physicist who previously worked with her at UCL and co-authored papers with her during that time, in an email to Reuters.

Her resume, which she submitted for the position at Kleinschmidt, mentioned additional post-graduate degrees in politics and development from the London School of Economics and the School of Oriental and African Studies, although Reuters was unable to verify this information.

Following this, she outlined a series of roles involving NGO projects in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Furthermore, on a separate CV on the BAC Consulting website, she identified herself as a "Board Member at the Earth Child Institute", an educational and environmental charity based in New York. The founder of the group, Donna Goodman, informed Reuters that Barsony-Arcidiacono had never served in any capacity within the organization. "She was introduced to us by a mutual acquaintance of a board member, and expressed interest in a job opportunity in 2018," stated Goodman. "However, she did not receive an invitation to submit an application. Additionally, her CV outlined her previous role as a "Project Manager" at the International Atomic Energy Agency from 2008 to 2009, where she coordinated a nuclear research conference." The IAEA confirmed that she had interned there for a duration of eight months.

BAC Consulting's website, which was removed by the end of the week, provided limited information about its operations in Hungary. The registered address is a serviced office in a suburb of Budapest. 

"I am a scientist leveraging my diverse background to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects related to strategic decision-making (water and climate policy, investments)," stated Barsony-Arcidiacono on her CV. 

"I possess exceptional analytical, communication, and interpersonal abilities, and thrive in a multicultural setting that recognizes the importance of diversity, integrity, and humor."