Telegram App Founder Arrested

The founder of Telegram App has been arrested at an airport in France.

Cops reportedly detained him as he stepped off from his private jet following his arrival from Azerbaijan.

Durov was arrested at around 8 pm on Saturday at Le Bourget airport, on the outskirts of Paris, by gendarmes from the GTA (Air Transport Gendarmerie).

The 39-year-old Franco-Russian was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.

Durov had arrived straight from Azerbaijan, according to a wanted persons file on him.

The Telegram founder had a search warrant above his head issued by French officials based on a preliminary investigation.

Telegram App Founder Arrested

Authorities claim that Telegram’s lack of moderation, collaboration with law enforcement, and the instruments it provides (disposable numbers, and cryptocurrency) make it an accomplice in drug trafficking, pedophilia, and fraud.

But the search warrant would only be valid if Durov was on national territory.

The tech mogul had been traveling to the Emirates, former Soviet Union countries, and South America as he is a persona non grata in France.

He very rarely traveled in Europe and avoided places where Telegram was being monitored.

Investigators of France’s National Anti-Fraud Office linked to the Customs Directorate notified him and took him into police custody.

Durov should appear before an investigative judge tonight before being indicted on Sunday for an array of offences.

These could include terrorism, narcotics, complicity, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods, and pedocriminal content.

Pavel Durov is a Russian-born entrepreneur and programmer best known for founding the social networking site VK (VKontakte) and the messaging app Telegram.

Born on October 10, 1984, in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Russia, Durov is often referred to as the “Russian Mark Zuckerberg” due to the similarities between VK and Facebook.

In 2006, Durov, along with his older brother Nikolai, launched VKontakte, which quickly became Russia’s most popular social network.

But his time at VK was not without controversy as Durov clashed with Russian authorities over demands to censor content and provide user data to the government.

In 2014, under increasing pressure, Durov was forced to sell his stake in VK and left the company.

After leaving VK, Durov focused on Telegram, a cloud-based messaging app that he and his brother Nikolai had launched in 2013.