Telegram messaging app CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France

Investigators allege the Russian-born billionaire’s platform has been used for money laundering and drug trafficking, among other offences

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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov delivers a keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February 2016. Photo: Reuters

Published: 6:27am, 25 Aug 2024Updated: 5:21am, 26 Aug 2024

Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire founder and owner of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at an airport outside Paris soon after landing on a private jet late on Saturday and placed in custody, three sources told Reuters.

The arrest of the 39-year-old technology billionaire prompted on Sunday a warning from Moscow to Paris that he should be accorded his rights, and criticism from X owner Elon Musk who said free speech in Europe was under attack.

There was no official confirmation from France of the arrest, but two French police sources and one Russian source who spoke on condition of anonymity said Durov was arrested after arriving at Le Bourget airport on a private jet from Azerbaijan.

One of the two French police sources said that ahead of the jet’s arrival, police had spotted he was on the passenger list and moved to arrest him because he was the subject of an arrest warrant in France.

Demonstrators with an icon stylised painting depicting Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov protest against the blocking of the messaging app in Russia, during a May Day rally in Saint Petersburg in 2018. Photo: AFP

“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving,” Telegram said in a statement on the arrest.