- By Kamal Kumar
- Sun, 25 Aug 2024 07:30 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app was detained by the French authorities at an airport outside Paris. According to a CNN report, Durov had an arrest warrant issued against him. The French-Russian billionaire was taken into custody by France's anti-fraud office, and attached to French customs on Saturday evening after he arrived at the Bourget Airport on a flight from Azerbaijan, the report added.
Why Pavel Durov Was Arrested
Pavel, a 39-year-old tech icon, was wanted by French authorities in an arrest warrant on the charges of lack of moderation on Telegram, which allegedly led to the platform being used for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing pedophilic content.
According to CNN, he had not regularly travelled to France and Europe since the arrest warrant was issued.
Crime Against Children, Drug Trafficking Among Charges
French authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, accusing him of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children, and fraud. The charges stem from Telegram's lack of content moderation and Durov's refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, as reported by The Moscow Times, citing local French media. Durov, originally from Russia and now residing in Dubai, became a naturalised French citizen in August 2021.
Durov also founded the VKontakte social network and left Russia in 2014 after declining to hand over user data to Russian security services. In response, Russia attempted to block Telegram, though it failed to do so, due to the platform's refusal to share users' online communications. Telegram, which Durov claims has over 900 million users, is popular among Russian speakers and serves as a crucial platform for sharing information about the war in Ukraine. It is also reportedly used by the Russian military for communication.