French authorities have arrested Pavel Durov, the Russian billionaire and founder of Telegram’s popular messaging app, at Le Bourget Airport near Paris.
Durov was detained on Saturday under a warrant related to his involvement with Telegram, and he is scheduled to appear in court on Sunday.
According to the French news channel TF1, Durov, 39, was taken into custody by officers from the French Anti-Fraud Office upon his arrival from Azerbaijan.
The arrest warrant, issued by France’s Cybercrime Agency, alleges Durov’s involvement in various crimes linked to Telegram, including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and the promotion of terrorism.
Sources close to the investigation revealed that the French authorities have been actively pursuing Durov due to his platform’s alleged role in facilitating numerous illegal activities.
The arrest has sparked significant interest, especially since Telegram has faced criticism for its lax approach to moderating content and cooperating with law enforcement.
Deputy Chairman of Russia’s State Duma Vladislav Davankov has reportedly appealed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, urging him to intervene in Durov’s case.
Davankov suggested that the arrest might have political motivations, aiming to gain access to the personal data of Telegram users.
Telegram, founded in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, has grown into one of the world’s leading social media and messaging platforms, with ambitions to reach one billion active users by next year.
Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition groups on his previous social media platform VK, has since relocated to Dubai, where Telegram’s headquarters are based. He became a naturalized French citizen in August 2021.
