Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France last evening. He was apprehended by the police at Bourget Airport in Paris after arriving from Baku, Azerbaijan, on his private jet. Durov was scheduled to appear in court today.
While Telegram has not yet commented on the situation, French police confirmed the arrest and said he has been taken to the police station. Meanwhile, Russian bloggers are outraged by the arrest and have announced plans to protest outside French embassies worldwide on Sunday afternoon.
Telegram CEO Was Arrested Because Of His App
Media reports suggest that Durov was arrested because of his app. French police claim that Telegram lacks moderators, which allows the app to promote criminal activities.
The French agency OFMIN, which works to prevent violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant against Durov, accusing him of promoting fraud, drug smuggling, cybercrime, and terrorism. The agency states that Durov has failed to prevent the criminal use of his social networking platform, leading to his arrest.
Who Is Pavel Durov?
Pavel Durov, 39, was born in Russia and is the founder and owner of the messaging app Telegram. Telegram is a free social networking app used by millions of people worldwide, gaining recognition despite competition from Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.
The app currently has 900 million active users, with the company aiming to reach one billion users by 2024-25. Telegram’s headquarters are in Dubai, where Durov has lived since leaving Russia in 2014. According to Forbes, Durov’s net worth is currently $15.5 billion.
