Pavel Durov, the French-Russian billionaire founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris, reports CNN .
He was arrested when he was travelling abroad his private jet.
Russian-born Durov, 39, lives in Dubai. He has French and UAE nationality. Russian and French media say Durov became a French citizen in 2021.
French justice believes that Telegram provides a space for crimes such as drug trafficking, child pornography and fraud.
Durov was wanted under a French arrest warrant due to the lack of moderation on Telegram which led to it being used for drug trafficking and child pornography and fraud.
“Telegram is influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It has become a critical source of information on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, used heavily by both Moscow and Kyiv officials,” says Reuters.
