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, the 39-year-old billionaire was arrested on a warrant for crimes related to the popular messaging app.

The investigation reportedly concerns a lack of moderators, with Mr Durov accused of failing to take steps to curb the criminal use of Telegram.

Mr Durov was born in Russia and lives in Dubai. He holds dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France.

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.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asked on Telegram whether Western human rights NGOs would remain silent on Mr Durov’s arrest after criticising Russia’s decision to impose “stoning operations” on Telegram’s work in Russia in 2018.

Several Russian officials have condemned the businessman’s arrest.

X owner Elon Musk, who has faced heavy criticism for his moderation and the material hosted on his own social media site, posted repeatedly about the situation, tagging one post with the hashtag #freepavel and writing in another: “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”