Billionaire Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on Saturday, multiple outlets reported, amid an apparent investigation into whether Telegram—a freewheeling and sometimes controversial messaging and social networking platform—allows crime on its app in part due to a lack of moderation.
Durov, 39, was detained after landing at Le Bourget Airport in Paris from Azerbaijan on Saturday night, after an arrest warrant was issued, according to multiple outlets, citing unnamed sources.
He was reportedly arrested as part of an investigation into Telegram’s content moderation practices, with investigators believing the messaging app—which has over 950 million users—hasn’t mitigated criminal users or properly cooperated with law enforcement when the app is used for drug trafficking, child sexual content and fraud.
It was not clear as of Sunday afternoon which French agency detained Durov or what charges he is facing, if any, and the Paris prosecutor’s office declined to comment, citing an open investigation.
A lawyer for Durov—who is from Russia but hasn’t lived there in about a decade, and is now Dubai-based—reportedly blasted the arrest, telling Russian media it was like a car manufacturer being blamed for an accident or being used to transport drugs.
The Russian Embassy in France said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, that it asked French authorities for clarification on why Durov was detained, but that France has not answered the request.