Pavel Durov, billionaire founder of encrypted messaging app Telegram, has been arrested in France, according to local reports.
The 39-year-old technology chief was reportedly arrested after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport outside Paris.
News channels BFMTV and TF1 reported, citing anonymous sources, that a search warrant had been issued for the Russian-born entrepreneur, who gained French citizenship in 2021.
Both channels suggested that the investigation was focused on Telegram’s lack of moderators and possible criminal activity by users.
French police, the Ministry of the Interior and Telegram have not commented on the allegations.
Telegram is one of the most downloaded apps worldwide. According to predictions, the app will reach almost 1 billion users within a year.
The app offers end-to-end encryption, effectively protects data from interception, and takes data protection very seriously.
Telegram is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet republics.
This focus has made the app popular among pro-democracy and other protesters in countries with strict laws.
The app has become an important source of information on Russia’s war in Ukraine and is widely used by officials in Moscow and Kiev.
It is considered one of the most important social media platforms, with a reported 950 million monthly active users.
However, it has also been used for criminal activities, most recently by far-right activists who sparked riots in the UK over the Southport stabbing.
It is unclear why Durov was arrested, but BFMTV reported that the warrant is related to the app’s possible use for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing child sexual abuse content.
The app’s founder, owner and CEO left Russia in 2014 after losing control of his previous social media company, Vkontakte (VK).
He refused to comply with government demands to shut down opposition groups on the platform and was unwilling to provide data on Ukrainian protesters to security authorities.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was taking steps to “clarify” whether he had been arrested.
Durov became a naturalized French citizen in August 2021 and is also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates.
US commentator Tucker Carlson wrote on X that Durov was arrested in France because he refused to “censor the truth”.
In an interview with an American TV personality in April, Durov said he was committed to keeping Telegram “neutral” and “free from geopolitics”.