French judicial authorities extended the detention of Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram, after his arrest at Paris’s Le Bourget airport on Saturday over alleged offences related to the messaging app.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Durov, 39, who holds a French passport along with other nationalities, was detained upon arriving from Baku, Azerbaijan, while planning to have dinner in Paris. His detention, initially set for questioning, can last up to 96 hours, after which a judge will decide whether to release him or press charges.
Russia has accused France of refusing to cooperate, and tech mogul Elon Musk has publicly defended Durov.
He was accompanied by a bodyguard and personal assistant at the time of his arrest.
France’s OFMIN, an office tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism, another source said.
Durov is accused of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.
Telegram said in response that “Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.”
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“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards,” it added. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”
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