Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was detained on Saturday evening at Bourget Airport near Paris, according to reports from French news outlets TF1 and BFM TV.
Durov, who was traveling from Azerbaijan on his private jet, was arrested under a French warrant linked to an ongoing police investigation into Telegram’s alleged role in facilitating criminal activities.
The French warrant, issued by the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF), was activated upon Durov’s arrival on French soil. A source close to the investigation revealed that Durov, who was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman, was taken into custody by the Air Transport Gendarmerie. The source commented, “He made a blunder this evening. We don’t know why… Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he’s in custody!”
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Durov’s arrest stems from accusations by French authorities that Telegram has been used to enable various crimes, including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and fraud. An individual familiar with the investigation said, “On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of offenses and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate.”
The detention of the 39-year-old Franco-Russian entrepreneur has caused significant market reactions, with the price of Toncoin (TON) plummeting by 13% following the news. As of the latest reports, TON is trading at $5.96.
In response to the arrest, American conservative commentator Tucker Carlson expressed his views on X, formerly known as Twitter, highlighting the irony that Durov, who once defied the Russian government’s attempts to control his platform, has now been detained by a Western country. Carlson posted, “Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, that locked him away.”
Telegram, founded in 2013 and based in Dubai, was established by Russian-born Durov after he left Russia in 2014. Durov, who sold his previous social media platform VK, refused to comply with demands from the Russian government to shut down opposition communities.
Forbes estimates Durov’s fortune to be around $15.5 billion. Despite facing pressure from several governments, Durov has consistently maintained that Telegram should remain a “neutral platform” and not be a “player in geopolitics.”
Telegram has not yet responded to requests for comment on the arrest, and both the French Interior Ministry and police have declined to comment on the situation.
