French authorities detained Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, at an airport near Paris on Saturday for alleged offenses related to the messaging app, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP). The report cites unnamed officials.
Durov, who was born in Russia, was arrested at Le Bourget airport. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the arrest through a post on Telegram, as reported by China’s Xinhua News Agency.
The 39-year-old billionaire is suspected of failing to prevent criminal use of Telegram. AFP reports that Durov is expected to appear in court on Sunday.
Bloomberg News was unable to independently verify Durov’s arrest. The French national police’s duty line had no information, and Paris police and prosecutors did not immediately respond to email requests outside of regular business hours. Telegram also did not respond to requests for comment outside of regular hours.
Russia’s embassy in Paris is working to “clarify the situation” regarding Durov’s detention, although “the businessman’s representatives did not file any application” for assistance, according to a report by the Tass news agency, citing Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Telegram, created by Durov and his brother Nikolai, has about 900 million active users and is one of the most popular messaging apps globally. The app’s relatively light touch on content moderation has led to allegations that it is frequently used for criminal activities and extremist material.
French agency Ofmin, which combats violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov. Ofmin coordinates preliminary investigations into alleged offenses such as fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and promotion of terrorism.
Durov resides in Dubai and holds dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France. His net worth is reported to be over $9 billion according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The Durov brothers initially gained wealth by creating VKontakte, a Russian social network, in 2006. The platform quickly became popular among Russians, making it a target for a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin. Pavel Durov fled the country and sold his stake in VKontakte.