Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov (39) was arrested by French police at Bourget airport, north of Paris on Saturday evening.
Reportedly, Durov was travelling to Azerbaijan and was arrested at about 8 pm local time. He was detained after his private jet landed at the airport.
According to officials, the billionaire was arrested under a warrant for offences related to the messaging app. Durov was accused of money laundering, failing to take steps to curb criminal uses of Telegram. Western governments have often criticised Telegram for its lack of content moderating on the messaging service.
He is expected to appear in court on Sunday.
Reportedly, the app is also accused of failure to cooperate with law enforcement over drug trafficking, child sexual content and fraud.
Meanwhile Russia has expressed outrage over Durov's arrest and pointed fingers at the double standards of the West on the freedom of speech. Following his detention, the Russian Embassy in France requested the French authorities to clarify the reasons for the arrest and provide protection for Durov's rights.
The Embassy also requested the authorities to facilitate consular access.
"As of today, the French authorities are, at the present time, not cooperating on this issue...We are in contact with P. Durov’s lawyer," it added. Several Russian officials condemned Durov's arrest. Social media users came up with posts supporting Durov with several memes and posts.
TELEGRAM:
— Radar🚨 (@RadarHits) August 25, 2024
🇺🇸 U.S. Intelligence agencies tried to recruit Telegram developers to install backdoors, Pavel Durov revealed before his arrest in France. pic.twitter.com/HkbYzeYzZA
Imagine you own a large apartment complex.
— Sean Linehan (@seanlinehan) August 24, 2024
France says, "It is a legal requirement to put microphones in every room and let us listen."
You say, "No, people should be able to have private conversations."
They arrest you.
The digital equivalent just happened to Pavel Durov.
Durov holds dual citizenship in the United Arab Emirates and France. Though born in Russia, he lives in Dubai.
Telegram was banned in Russia in 2018 following Durov's refusal to hand over user data.
Founded in 2013, Telegram is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram and WeChat.
