OAN Staff Abril Elfi
9:42 AM – Sunday, August 25, 2024
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been arrested at the Paris airport in relation to a preliminary police investigation.
According to reports, Durov was arrested on Saturday by French police following an investigation regarding his company’s messaging app.
Authorities believe that there are not enough moderators on Telegram to keep criminal activity in check.
The Franco-Russian tech billionaire will appear in court after being taken into custody, sources told the AFP news agency.
A warrant for Durov’s arrest had been issued by French investigators as part of their investigation into claims of fraud, drug trafficking, organized crime, terrorism promotion, and cyberbullying.
Durov was stopped after landing on his private jet in Paris on Saturday night after arriving from Baku. He is accused of not doing enough to stop the illegal use of his platform.
One investigator said, “Enough of Telegram’s impunity,” and was shocked to learn that Durov had flown to Paris while aware that he was wanted.
Many influential figures have responded to Duval’s arrest.
Elon Musk used the hashtag “FreePavel” to reshare a video from that interview in which Durov called Musk’s acquisition of X “a great development.” He then followed up with a second post saying “Liberté! Liberté! Liberté?”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also responded to the arrest, saying that “the need to protect free speech has never been more urgent.”
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