NICE, France — The creator and CEO of the messaging service Telegram was apprehended at a Paris airport on an arrest warrant declaring his platform hasactually been utilized for cash laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses, French media reported Sunday.
Pavel Durov, a double person of France and Russia, was taken into custody at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday night after landing in France from Azerbaijan, according to broadcasters LCI and TF1.
Investigators from the National Anti-Fraud Office, connected to the French customizeds department, informed Durov, 39, that he was being positioned in cops custody, the broadcasters stated.
Durov’s agents couldn’t be instantly reached for remark.
French districtattorneys decreased to remark on Durov’s arrest when called by The Associated Press on Sunday, in line with guidelines throughout an continuous examination.
French media reported that the warrant for Durov was provided by France at the demand of the unique system at the nation’s interior ministry in charge of examining criminaloffenses versus minors. Those consistof online sexual exploitation, such as belongings and circulation of kid sexual abuse material and grooming for sexual functions.
Telegram was established by Durov and his sibling in the wake of the Russian federalgovernment’s crackdown after mass pro-democracy demonstrations that rocked Moscow at the end of 2011 and 2012.
The presentations triggered Russian authorities to clamp down on the digital area, embracing policies that required web suppliers to block sites and mobilephone operators to shop call records and messages that might be shared with security services.
In the significantly repressive environment, Telegram and its pro-privacy rhetoric used a practical method for Russians to interact and share news. In 2018, Russian media guarddog Roskomnadzor moved to block Telegram over its rejection to hand over fileencryption secrets, however eventually stoppedworking to totally limit gainaccessto to the app.
Telegram continued to be commonly utilized — consistingof by federalgovernment organizations — and the restriction was dropped 2 years lateron. In March 2024, Roskomnadzor stated that Telegram was working with the Russian federalgovernment to a specific level and had gotridof more than 256,000 posts with restricted material at Roskomnadzor’s demand.
Telegram likewise continues to be a popular source of news in Ukraine, where both media outlets and authorities usage it to share info on the war, and provide rocket and air raid ale
