The billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, was reportedly detained at Bourget Airport near Paris on Saturday evening, according to French news outlets TF1 and BFM TV.
Durov, who had been traveling from Azerbaijan on his private jet, was arrested under a French warrant related to an ongoing investigation into Telegram’s alleged involvement in facilitating criminal activities, including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and fraud, as reported by Reuters.
French authorities accused the popular messaging platform of enabling a wide range of illegal activities without adequately moderating or cooperating with law enforcement.
This development comes amidst growing scrutiny of Telegram’s role in providing an encrypted platform that, while protecting user privacy, is also vulnerable to misuse by criminal organizations.
Details of Durov’s arrest indicate that the warrant was activated as soon as he landed on French soil.
Sources close to the investigation revealed that Durov, accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman, was taken into custody by the Air Transport Gendarmerie.
The arrest was carried out under a French search warrant issued by the French judicial police, specifically targeting Durov for his alleged role in facilitating these criminal activities via Telegram.
Despite the high-profile nature of the case, Telegram has yet to issue a statement.
Similarly, French authorities have remained tight-lipped, with the Interior Ministry and police declining to comment on the matter.
The National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) is reportedly overseeing the investigation.
