Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested by French Police at Paris Airport

French authorities have arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at an airport north of Paris.

Mr Durov was held after landing his private jet at Le Bourget Airport, according to French media.

According to officials, the 39-year-old billionaire was arrested on a warrant for crimes involving the famous chat app.

The probe is purportedly concerned a lack of moderators, with Mr Durov accused of neglecting to take action to prevent unlawful use of App.

Mr Durov was born in Russia and now lives in Dubai. He holds dual citizenship in the UAE and France.

Telegram is very popular in Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union states.

The app was banned in Russia in 2018 following Mr Durov’s prior reluctance to hand over user data. However, the prohibition was reversed in 2021.

Telegram is one of the leading social media networks, following Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and Wechat.

In 2013, Mr. Durov founded Telegram. He fled Russia in 2014 after refusing to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media site, which he later sold.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asked on Telegram if Western human rights NGOs would remain silent about Mr Durov’s arrest after they criticised Russia’s decision to “create obstacles” to Telegram’s work in Russia in 2018.

Several Russian officials decried the businessman’s arrest.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, has faced widespread criticism for moderating and content displayed on his own social media platform. He has commented on the matter several times. He hashtagged one post with #freepavel and wrote in another, “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe, and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”