Japanese Icom walkie-talkies in spotlight after Hezbollah devices explode

Company warns of counterfeits as devices were discontinued a decade ago

A walkie-talkie with the Icom logo at a shop in the Akihabara district of Tokyo. AFP

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The Japanese company whose name was on walkie-talkies that exploded across Lebanon said on Thursday the model allegedly involved was discontinued a decade ago, and warned that counterfeits have been sold widely in international markets.

The detonation of the devices killed at least 20 people across Lebanon and wounded at least 450, according to the country's Health Ministry. It followed the explosion of pagers used by Hezbollah members on Tuesday that left at least 12 people dead and injured thousands.

Icom, in Osaka, said its IC-V82 device was produced and exported around the world, including the Middle East, between 2004 and October 2014. The Icom logo was pictured on some of the exploding walkie-talkies in images widely shared online.

“It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company,” Icom said in a statement.

Icom's director Yoshiki Enomoto with an IC-V82 device and its battery at the company's head office in Osaka, Japan. Photo: EPA

“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,” it added.

Icom products for overseas markets are sold through authorised distributors and “we conduct strict export controls”, Icom said. The radios are manufactured by a production subsidiary, Wakayama Icom, in southern Japan’s Wakayama prefecture, and no parts other than those specified by the firm are used in the products. “All of our radios are manufactured at the same factory, and we do not manufacture them overseas,” Icom said.

It remains unclear how the walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah detonated. Members of the Iran-backed group have long used the devices to communicate, in an apparent attempt to minimise the ability to track their locations and intercept their communications. The explosions represent a major breach of Hezbollah security. Israel has not commented on the incidents, but Hezbollah and Iran have blamed the country as the instigators. The devices are believed to have been loaded with explosive material.

A security expert told The National it would not have been possible for the perpetrators to intercept pagers ordered by Hezbollah by obtaining the serial numbers from the manufacturer. Hezbollah would likely have obfuscated the purchases, said the source, who added that the operation could have been one of multiple options on the table and planned for years. It is possible that the devices used by Hezbollah were counterfeits, and it is also not clear how long the group had possessed them or how they obtained them.

A previous document issued by Icom warned of widespread fake IC-V82s for sale, especially products that appeared to have been made in China.

“Pay special attention to counterfeit IC-V80, IC-718 (currently produced model) and IC-V82 (discontinued model). Copies of these models are floating in the market,” the manufacturer said in an undated notice published before the explosions. “Icom radios marked ‘Made in China’ or made in another country are 100% fake.”

Although manufacture of the IC-V82 was discontinued a decade ago, versions of the device are still widely available online. The National found a device labelled IC-V82 for sale on the e-commerce site AliExpress, part of Chinese tech giant Alibaba, for about 240 AED, with a picture showing the words “Made in Japan” printed on the device.

On eBay, The National found a purportedly new Icom IC-V82 for $56.99 (Dh209), shipped from China. There is no indication that either website sold the devices used by Hezbollah.

Icom was founded in 1964 by Tokuzo Inoue, who started a shop for electronics equipment at his parents' house after graduating from high school, according to the company’s website. The company has subsidiaries in eight countries, including China, the US, Germany and Spain.