At around 8 pm on Saturday evening in France, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested as he exited his private jet at Le Bourget Airport, outside Paris. He was flying in from Azerbaijan. According to TF1Info, the French outlet that first broke the news of his arrest, Durov was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman. As best as anyone can tell, he spent the night in a French jail cell.
Durov’s unexpected detainment came after an arrest warrant was issued by OFMIN, a new law enforcement office that began operations in November and is tasked with preventing violence against minors. Durov’s arrest is reportedly part of a preliminary investigation into a startling array of alleged offenses—drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and the promotion of terrorism—deemed to have been permitted on Telegram, which Durov claimed in July has 950 million users.
Investigators speaking to French media were unsure why Durov risked landing in the country given that he was on France’s wanted persons list. According to an unnamed police source who spoke to Reuters, investigators saw Durov’s name on a passenger list ahead of his private jet’s arrival.
Representatives from OFMIN declined to answer questions about the investigation and redirected WIRED to France’s Ministry of Justice, which did not immediately respond. The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said in an email that a full press release is expected to be published on Monday.
Durov is reportedly in the crosshairs of French authorities due to both a lack of moderation on Telegram and a lack of cooperation with police requests. Reuters reported that a cybersecurity gendarmerie unit and France’s national antifraud police unit were leading the investigation. The investigative judge is also specialized in organized crime.
Telegram did not respond to requests for comment from WIRED. John Hyman, Telegram’s chief investment officer, declined to comment “currently.” The Telegram News channel posted on Sunday evening that it was “absurd” to claim that an owner or its platform were responsible for abuses of that platform, noting that Durov has “nothing to hide” and travels frequently in Europe. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situatio
Although France has yet to officially confirm the arrest, the Russian embassy in Paris was quick to accuse French authorities of not clarifying the reasons for Durov’s detention or facilitating consular access. “As of today, the French authorities are, at the present time, not cooperating on this issue,” the embassy said in a statement. “We are in contact with P. Durov’s lawyer.” Durov became a French citizen in 2021. Based in Dubai, Durov also has United Arab Emirates citizenship.
Content retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/story/telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-arrest/.
