Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of the Telegram social media platform, was arrested on Saturday by French authorities after flying from Azerbaijan to France’s Le Bourget Airport.
Authorities arrested Durov immediately after his private plane landed in France due to a search warrant that had been previously issued against the Russia-born billionaire. The search warrant granted French police authority to execute an arrest agains the billionaire if Durov ever came to French territory.
“He made a blunder this evening,” a source with knowledge of the investigation into the Telegram founder told TF1/LCI. “We don’t know why… Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he’s in custody.”
TF1/LCI reported that Durov typically avoids traveling to any of the countries where his social media platform is under criminal investigation over multiple alleged crimes.
In a Monday post on X, formerly Twitter, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote, “The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”
A press release by Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau noted that Durov was arrested on Saturday as part of an investigation into an “unnamed person” that was launched by the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office’s cybercrime division on July 8.
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Monday’s press release claimed that the investigation pertains to alleged complicity in multiple crimes, including running an online platform that enables child pornography, drug trafficking, illegal transactions, and fraud. The investigation is also examining the alleged refusal to provide information to law enforcement authorities, money laundering, and the provision of cryptographic services to criminals.
A source with knowledge of the case told TF1/LCI, “On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of offences and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate.”
The Daily Wire reported that Durov’s arrest by French authorities was quickly met with widespread backlash by free speech advocates on social media who questioned the charges against the Telegram founder. Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk described Durov’s arrest as “super messed up,” according to the outlet.
In a post on X, Musk wrote, “America is the last large country to uphold free speech and, even here, it is under attack.” He added, “It is vital to the support of free speech that you forward 𝕏 posts to people you know, especially in censorship-heavy countries.”
