Paris, France – August 24, 2024 – Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, was arrested at Paris’ Bourget airport on Saturday evening, according to French media reports.
TF1 and BFM TV, citing unnamed sources, said that Durov was apprehended while traveling on his private jet. The arrest was reportedly linked to a preliminary police investigation into Telegram’s lack of moderators, which French authorities believe has allowed criminal activity to flourish on the platform.
Telegram did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment, and the French Interior Ministry and police declined to provide details.
TF1 reported that Durov was traveling from Azerbaijan and was arrested around 8:00 PM local time.
Telegram, headquartered in Dubai, was founded by Russian-born Durov, who fled Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform.
Durov, estimated to have a fortune of $15.5 billion, has previously stated that some governments have attempted to pressure him to censor content on Telegram. However, he has maintained that the app should remain a “neutral platform” and not a “player in geopolitics.”
