Paris, France – French police arrested Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov on Saturday at an airport near Paris for alleged offences related to the popular messaging app, officials said.
The Franco-Russian billionaire, 39, was detained at Le Bourget airport north of the French capital on Saturday evening, one of the officials told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He had just travelled from Baku, in Azerbaijan, another source close to the case said.
Durov was expected to appear in court on Sunday.
France’s OFMIN, an agency tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov as the coordinating agency in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism, one of the sources close to the case said.
Durov is suspected of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.
“Enough of Telegram’s impunity,” said one of the investigators, adding they were surprised Durov came to Paris knowing he was a wanted man.
