Telegram CEO arrested at French airport

Telegram boss Pavel Durov was arrested by French police at an airport north of Paris.

French media reported that Mr Durov was arrested after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport.

According to authorities, an arrest warrant had been issued against the 39-year-old for crimes related to the popular messaging app.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, the Russian embassy in France is taking “immediate steps” to clarify the situation.

Durov traveled on his private jet, French television channel TF1 reported on its website.

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

The app was banned in Russia in 2018 after Mr Durov previously refused to hand over user data.

But the ban was lifted in 2021.

Telegram is is considered one of the most important social media platforms to Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat.

Mr. Durov founded Telegram in 2013 and he left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to close opposition communities on his social media platform VKontakte, which he sold.