French authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov

The founder and CEO of messaging service Telegram has been detained at a Paris airport on an arrest warrant, accusing his platform of being used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other crimes, French media reported Sunday.

Pavel Durov, who has dual French and Russian citizenship, was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening after landing in France from Azerbaijan, broadcasters LCI and TF1 reported.

Detectives from the French Anti-Fraud Office, which is attached to French customs, informed 39-year-old Durov that he was being held by police, the broadcasters reported.

French prosecutors declined to comment on Durov’s arrest when contacted by the Associated Press news agency on Sunday, under the rules of an ongoing investigation.

French media reported that the arrest warrant for Durov was issued by France at the request of the country’s Interior Ministry’s special unit charged with investigating crimes against minors. These include online sexual exploitation, such as possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material and solicitation for sexual purposes.

Read more from AP News here.

Tagged: World News

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