The founder and CEO of popular encrypted messaging service Telegram was detained at a Paris airport, French media reported on Sunday.
What you need to know The founder and CEO of popular encrypted messaging service Telegram has been detained at a Paris airport, according to French broadcast media. Pavel Durov, a dual French-Russian citizen, was arrested Saturday evening at Paris' Le Bourget airport after arriving in France from Azerbaijan, broadcasters LCI and TF1 reported. When contacted by The Associated Press on Sunday, French prosecutors declined to comment on Durov's arrest, in accordance with rules during an ongoing investigation. Durov faces a French arrest warrant on suspicion of using his encrypted platform for money laundering, drug trafficking and other crimes, French media said.
Pavel Durov was detained at Paris' Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening after arriving in France from Azerbaijan, according to broadcasters LCI and TF1.
Investigators from the National Anti-Fraud Office, which is attached to French customs, informed Durov that he would be taken into police custody, the broadcaster reported.
French prosecutors, in line with rules during the ongoing investigation, declined to comment on Durov's arrest when contacted by The Associated Press on Sunday.
French media reported that the 39-year-old Durov had an arrest warrant issued by France based on allegations that his encrypted platform was being used to share content related to money laundering, drug trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors.
Western governments have frequently criticized Telegram for what they say is a lack of content moderation on its messaging service.
Russian government officials expressed outrage over Durov's arrest, with some highlighting what they said was a double standard in the West when it comes to freedom of speech.
“In 2018, a group of 26 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the Russian court's decision to block Telegram,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
“Do you think this time they will appeal to Paris and demand Durov's release?” Zakharova said in a post on her Telegram account.
