Businesswoman at center of exploding pager plot was ‘vague’ about her company’s activities, ex-boyfriend reveals
The British-educated Hungarian businesswoman at the centre of the exploding pager plot was described by her ex-boyfriend as “vague” about her company’s activities.
Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, 49, founded the company in May 2022 with her initials in reverse order, company records show.
Despite allegations in The New York Times that the Budapest-based company was part of a complex network of Mossad shell companies, Ms. Bársony-Arcidiacono denied knowledge of the plot.
“I don’t make the beepers. I’m just the middleman. I think you misunderstood,” she told a reporter yesterday before she went to the ground.
But an ex-boyfriend described her as not very forthcoming about business matters.
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Cristiana Bársony-Arcidiacono, 49, was described as ‘vague’ about her company’s activities, according to her ex-boyfriend
“When I asked her what her business was, she never said what she did exactly. She just said ‘business as usual.’ It was always a bit vague,” he recalls.
Mrs Bársony-Arcidiacono was born in Catania, Sicily and her mother Beatrice still lives in Italy, according to friends.
When Cristiana founded her company two years ago, she gave her address as that of her grandmother Borbala, who died three years ago at the age of 93.
A neighbour of Cristina’s grandmother, retired electrician Mihaly Lovasz, 77, told MailOnline she didn’t often visit the £85,000 eighth-floor apartment in Ujspet, a working-class area of the capital.
“She came for lunch occasionally on Sundays, but not that regularly,” he said.
‘Since her grandmother passed away, she rarely comes to check on the property, but it’s not rented out – it’s been empty since her grandmother passed away. I think Cristina wanted to live closer to the centre than here.’
Mr Lovasz said that Cristina’s late grandfather, Borbala’s husband, was a doctor and director of one of Budapest’s largest hospitals, Peterfy Sandor Utca.