Pavel Durov, the CEO of messaging app Telegram, was arrested on Saturday by French authorities, according to information reported by TF1 INFO. The arrest took place at Le Bourget airport, near Paris, after Durov arrived from Azerbaijan aboard his private jet.
Several French agencies, including the Gendarmerie des Transports Aériens (GTA), the Commandement de la Gendarmerie dans le Cyberspace (COMCyberGEND), the Office National de Lutte contre la Fraude (ONAF) and the Police aux Frontières (PAF), took part in the operation.
Pavel Durov, aged 39 and originally from Russia, founded Telegram in 2013 with his brother Nikolai. The app, which has 900 million users worldwide, is one of the most downloaded, not least because of its low level of moderation compared with other communication platforms. This lax approach is said to be the main reason for his arrest, as Telegram is perceived as a haven for criminals, hackers and other enemies of internet law enforcement.
Pavel Durov is accused of failing to put in place sufficient control mechanisms to prevent criminal use of his app, thus facilitating offenses such as money laundering and drug trafficking. In addition, Telegram is also criticized for its lack of cooperation with law enforcement and for offering tools, such as cryptocurrencies, that allegedly promote criminal activities.
The Telegram boss will appear in court on Sunday, where he could be charged with several counts. A resident of Dubai, Durov holds dual Emirati and French nationality. Durov’s arrest may not come as a surprise to him, given that he was aware of the warrant for his arrest, although his stopover in France may have been a strategic error. The arrest warrant was issued by OFMIN, an agency dedicated to combating crimes against children.
