Report: Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested at Paris airport

Pavel Durov, co-founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was arrested at a Paris airport on Saturday after disembarking from his private jet, according to French media reports.

The exiled billionaire and Russian exile was arrested by French police at Le Bourget airport around 8 p.m. after flying in from Azerbaijan, French news portal TF1 Info reported.

French authorities had issued a search warrant as part of a preliminary investigation into Durov and his encrypted messaging app, which has around 900 million users worldwide.

Law enforcement authorities believe that Telegram is complicit in global drug trafficking, pedophilia and fraud due to its lack of moderation and the tools it offers, such as cryptocurrencies. However, the search warrant was only valid if Durov set foot on French soil.

“He made a mistake this evening. We don't know why… Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he is in custody,” a source familiar with the investigation told TF1.

Durov, 39, is a Russian-born technology entrepreneur best known as the founder of the social network VK (VKontakte) and the messaging app Telegram.

He lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and is also a French and French-UAE citizen, according to Fortune.

Durov founded Telegram in 2013 with his brother Nikolai, but fled Russia in 2014 after refusing to hand over encrypted user data to Russian officials or silence anti-government communities. He later sold the company.

Durov chose a life of self-imposed exile, saying upon his departure that Russia was “incompatible with internet business at the moment,” The Sun reported.

According to Forbes, his fortune is estimated at $15.5 billion.

Telegram places a high value on user privacy, which has led many governments to criticize it for allowing militants and organized crime to communicate discreetly.

In addition, it has become an important source of information in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Durov stressed that Telegram is a neutral social media platform and not a “geopolitical actor.”

According to TF1, he is due to appear in court on Sunday. He is accused of terrorism, drug offenses, complicity, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods and child pornography.

“Pavel Durov will end up in custody, that much is certain,” an investigator familiar with the case told TF1.

“On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of crimes and offenses to take place without showing any moderation or cooperation,” the source added.