Pavel Durov, the Russian founder of the messaging app Telegram, has been detained after arriving in Paris on a private jet according to reports.
Durov, who obtained a French passport in 2021, was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget Airport at around 8pm local time on charges related to his alleged complicity in fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying and promoting terrorism.
The Telegram CEO and founder had previously told American journalist Tucker Carlson that he belived American security agencies had been trying to get more control over Telegram for a long time. He claimed he got “too much attention” from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies while on US soil.
Tucker Carlson has argued that Durov’s arrest is “a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intel agencies,”
He said: “Darkness is descending fast on the formerly free world.”
RT reports: According to LCI, the French authorities issued an arrest warrant for the tech entrepreneur as part of a preliminary investigation. Paris believes that Telegram’s insufficient moderation, its encryption tools and alleged lack of cooperation with police could make Durov complicit of in drug trafficking, pedophilia offenses and fraud, it said.
Broadcaster TF1 claimed that Durov is going to appear before a judge tonight. He could be facing up to 20 years in prison, it added.
Due to being a French citizen, the Telegram founder may also face accusations of violating sanctions imposed on Moscow by the EU due to his contacts in Russia.
Durov’s arrest warrant was only legitimate on the territory of France. “He made a mistake tonight. We don’t know why,” a source close to the investigation told TF1-LCI. “In any case, he’s locked up.”