The founder of the messaging service Telegram, Pawel Durow, has been arrested in France. The 39-year-old was taken into custody at Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening after arriving from Azerbaijan, as reported by broadcasters TF1 and BFMTV and other media, citing investigative circles.
According to French media reports, Durow was wanted in France because authorities had opened a preliminary investigation against him on suspicion that he had become an accomplice to drug trafficking, fraud and crimes related to child abuse due to a lack of intervention on Telegram and insufficient cooperation with law enforcement. According to TF1, an investigation against Durow could be opened on Sunday.
The Russian embassy has been called in
Given the information about Durov’s arrest, the Russian embassy in France immediately took steps that were necessary in such a situation, the Foreign Ministry statement, distributed by Tass, said. Attempts are being made to clarify the situation, “even though the businessman’s representatives did not submit a request.”
Durov founded Telegram together with his brother Nikolai after they had already launched the Vkontakte network, a kind of Russian Facebook. Telegram is one of the most important online networks in Russia, which is also used by many authorities and politicians for communication. In Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the service is used for communication by both sides.
Telegram must tolerate hate speech and calls for violence
The Durow brothers promise to protect the data of Telegram users. The Telegram creators are accused of not taking consistent enough action against hate speech and calls for violence. In the case of Islamist terrorist propaganda, Western and Russian authorities are said to have succeeded in persuading Telegram to remove it.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
