Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the messaging service, Telegram, was arrested as he disembarked his private jet on the tarmac at Le Bourget airport, Paris, the French channel TF1 reported on Saturday.
OFMIN, a part of the national directorate of the French judicial police, had placed an arrest warrant on Durov, a French-Russian dual national, due to lack of cooperation with law enforcement and suspected complicity in drug trafficking, pedo criminal offenses, and fraud, according to TF1.
Durov, 39, was said to have been arrested at 8pm French time, having flown in from Azerbaijan. The warrant on Durov was only valid if he was on French soil. As a result, TF1 reported that Durov traveled via the UAE, former Soviet countries and South America to avoid arrest in Europe. He also reportedly avoided traveling through countries where Telegram is under surveillance.
"He made a big mistake this evening," a source close to the investigation told TF1. "We don't know why... Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he's in custody."
TF1 said that investigators from France's anti-fraud directorate placed Durov in custody, and the CEO will appear before a judge on Saturday night before a possible indictment on Sunday. The alleged offenses include: terrorism, narcotic supply, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods and others.
TF1 claimed the businessman could face up to 20 years in prison.
"Pavel Durov will end up in pretrial detention, that's for sure," the source told TF1/LCI. "On [Telegram], he allowed an incalculable number of offenses and crimes to be committed, which he did nothing to moderate."
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Russian Embassy in France has taken the necessary steps to clarify the situation surrounding Durov, TASS reported.
Vladislav Davankov, Deputy Chair in the State Duma of Russia, spoke to Russian Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov requesting Durov's release.
Russia's representative to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, tweeted "Some naive persons still don’t understand that if they play more or less visible role in international information space it is not safe for them to visit countries which move towards much more totalitarian societies."
Tucker Carlson, the American commentator, tweeted that Durov was arrested for trying "to exercise free speech."
"Pavel Durov sits in a French jail tonight, a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intel agencies. Darkness is descending fast on the formerly free world."
Telegram controversies
Telegram, based in Dubai, was founded by Russian-born Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.
Durov, who is estimated by Forbes to have a fortune of $15.5 billion, said some governments had sought to pressure him but the app, which has now 900 million active users, should remain a "neutral platform" and not a "player in geopolitics."
Telegram has faced controversy recently after Durov said in an interview that the app employs only around 30 engineers. That comment, made in an April 2024 interview with Tucker Carlson, raised concerns about Telegram’s underinvestment in user privacy and security.
Telegram’s moderation policies have been reportedly lax since the app’s conception, and the app’s privacy and encryption policies are known to attract groups looking to spread hateful content. The platform has faced issues of misinformation and hate speech, especially antisemitic speech following October 7, 2023.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested as part of a judicial inquiry, with no political motive, French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday.
I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov.France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so.In a state governed by the rule of law,…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 26, 2024
"On social media, as in real life, freedoms are exercised within the law so as to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights," Macron wrote on X, denouncing false information being spread about Durov's arrest.
The Media Line and Reuters contributed to this report.