Pavel Durov, the billionaire co-founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was reportedly arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening, according to a report by TF1 TV, which cited an unnamed source.
Durov was traveling aboard his private jet when he was allegedly apprehended under an arrest warrant issued in France. The 39-year-old entrepreneur was reportedly en route from Azerbaijan and was taken into custody around 8 p.m. local time (6 p.m. GMT).
Durov, originally from Russia, has been residing in Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered. He holds dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates. According to Forbes, Durov's net worth is estimated at $15.5 billion (£12 billion). He left Russia in 2014 after refusing government demands to shut down opposition groups on VK, the social media platform he co-founded and later sold.
Telegram has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters.
Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in France is reportedly taking "immediate steps" to clarify the situation. TASS, the Russian state news agency, quoted a representative from the embassy who stated that there had been no direct appeal from Durov’s team, but that the embassy was proactively addressing the matter.
Pavel Durov, along with his brother Nikolai, founded Telegram in 2013. The messaging app now boasts around 900 million active users and is known for its end-to-end encrypted messaging. Additionally, Telegram allows users to create "channels" for broadcasting information to large groups of followers.
