Police arrested Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of the messaging app, at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday.

Durov was arrested on a warrant for offences related to the popular messaging app, AFP news agency reported, citing unnamed officials.

According to French broadcaster TF1, Durov was flying from Azerbaijan on his private jet and was arrested around 8pm local time (1800 GMT).

He is due to appear in court on Sunday.

Why is Durov being investigated?

Durov is suspected of not having taken measures to prevent the use of his platform for criminal purposes.

France’s OFMIN, an agency charged with preventing violence against minors, has issued an arrest warrant for Durov as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged crimes including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promoting terrorism, one of the sources close to the case said.

“Enough of Telegram’s impunity,” said one of the investigators, adding that they were surprised that Durov came to Paris knowing that he was a wanted man.

What is Telegram?

is one of the most important social media platforms in the world after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat. It currently aims to reach one billion active users by next year.

Russian-born Durov, 39, reportedly holds French nationality. He founded Telegram in 2013 with his brother Nikolai.

Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition groups on his social media platform VK. He subsequently sold the platform.

After Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram became the main source for unfiltered information from both sides about the war and the politics surrounding the conflict.

How is Russia responding to Durov’s arrest?

Following reports of Pavel Durov’s arrest in France, the Russian embassy in France is taking “immediate steps” to clarify the situation, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

“Do you think they will appeal to Paris and demand Durov’s release, or will they keep their mouths shut?” Russian ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.

The messaging app is one of the most important online networks in Russia. It is used by many authorities and politicians for communication.

dh/ab (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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