The founder and chief of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov was arrested by the French authorities at an airport outside Paris, reported CNN. On Saturday evening, officers from France’s anti-fraud office, working with French customs, detained the French-Russian billionaire upon his arrival at Bourget Airport from Azerbaijan.
Durov Arrested At Airport Amidst Ongoing Legal Issues
The arrest comes after a warrant was issued against Durov for his alleged involvement in severe criminal activities facilitated through the Telegram platform, including money laundering, drug trafficking, and distribution of pedophilic content.
Durov, a French-Russian billionaire, arrived on a flight from Azerbaijan and was detained by officers from France’s anti-fraud office attached to French customs. The arrest follows allegations that Durov failed to moderate content on Telegram and did not cooperate with law enforcement, leading to charges of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children, and fraud.
This marks a significant legal development as Durov had previously avoided travel to France and Europe since the warrant was issued.
Telegram’s Russian Connection
Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram, which according to him has over 900 million users, is currently residing in Dubai and became a naturalized French citizen in August 2021.
Durov, also the creator of the VKontakte social network, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with demands to share VKontakte users’ data with Russian security agencies. Despite Russia’s efforts to block Telegram over its refusal to disclose user communications, the platform remains widely used among Russian speakers. It has become a crucial channel for disseminating information about the Ukraine conflict and is reportedly used by the Russian military for communication.