PARIS (Reuters) – Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and chief government of Telegram messaging app, was exterior Paris on Saturday night time, TF1 TV and BFM TV stated, citing unnamed sources. was arrested at Le Bourget Airport.
TF1 stated on its web site that Durov was touring on his personal jet, including that he had been the goal of a French arrest warrant as a part of a preliminary police investigation.
Each TF1 and BFM stated the investigation centered on Telegram’s lack of moderators, a scenario that police consider allowed prison exercise to proceed with impunity on the messaging app.
Telegram didn’t instantly reply to Reuters’ request for remark. France’s inside ministry and police had no remark.
TF1 stated Durov traveled from Azerbaijan and was arrested at round 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
Telegram relies in Dubai and was based by Russian-born Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after refusing to adjust to calls for to close down opposition communities on the VK social media platform he bought.
Durov, who has a fortune estimated at $15.5 billion by Forbes, stated some governments had tried to stress him however that the app, which at present has 900 million lively customers, ought to stay a “impartial platform.” fairly than “geopolitical actors”.
