- Some observers had, however, claimed his arrest was not unconnected to his refusal to sell users’ data to governments.
The French government has arrested the billionaire founder and Chief Executive Officer of Telegram, Pavel Durov.
Durov was reportedly apprehended and detained at Bourget Airport near Paris on Saturday.
Reuters reported that Durov, who was traveling on his private jet from Azerbaijan, was arrested under a French warrant related to a preliminary police investigation into Telegram’s alleged role in facilitating criminal activities.
The 39-year-old Franco-Russian was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman at the time of his arrest by the Air Transport Gendarmerie.
Telegram is yet to officially speak on the development as of the time of filing this report. Similarly, the French Interior Ministry and police had made no comment.
Some observers had, however, claimed his arrest was not unconnected to his refusal to sell users’ data to governments.