The founder and CEO of the messaging service Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested on the tarmac at Le Bourget airport after arriving on a private jet.
TF1 writes about this.
The operation was carried out by officers of the Gendarmerie Air Transport Service (GTA). The arrest was made on the basis of a French search warrant issued by the National Criminal Police Directorate as part of a preliminary investigation. Durov arrived from Azerbaijan and his name was included in the wanted persons register (FPR).
The reason for Durov’s search was the suspicion of the French authorities that Telegram was being used for criminal activities. The arrest was made possible due to the fact that Durov accidentally found himself on French territory. A source close to the investigation said that this was a mistake, as Durov avoided countries where Telegram was under close scrutiny by the authorities.
Investigators from the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) informed Durov about the order and arrested him. He is due to be brought before an investigator on Saturday, with the possibility of being charged with crimes including terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud and distribution of paedophile content.
Durov’s arrest has international resonance, as it allows him to target criminal groups that use Telegram for illegal activities. The platform has long attracted the attention of law enforcement as a major conduit for organized crime.
Pavel Durov faces up to 20 years in prison in France. He will soon appear in court as a French citizen.
Telegram LLC has already developed an action plan in case of his arrest, which is now coming into effect. This plan was approved by Durov himself and will be activated the day after the arrest.
According to the plan, management of the company will be transferred to the Telegram Developers’ Council, which will be responsible for the further operation of the messenger and the execution of all its tasks.
Previously, Cursor reported that Pavel Durov has more than 100 biological children.
