Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested tonight at a French airport while traveling with a woman and his bodyguard, according to TF1, a reputable French news outlet. Durov has been taken into custody by investigators from France’s National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) in connection with a variety of alleged offenses and may face an indictment on Sunday.
The arrest occurred after Durov arrived at Paris’s Le Bourget airport, known for servicing private jets, after traveling from Azerbaijan. He was reportedly the subject of a search warrant issued by OFMIN, an investigative agency focused on combating child sexual exploitation in France, based on a preliminary investigation.
Notably, Durov typically avoids traveling extensively within Europe, likely to evade detention, as his arrest warrant was only applicable on French soil. A source informed TF1, “He made a mistake tonight. We don’t know why… Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he’s locked up.”
TF1 indicated that Durov could face an investigating judge on Saturday night, with potential charges ranging from terrorism and drug offenses to complicity, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods, and possession of pedocriminal content.
An investigator from ONAF expressed confidence that Durov would end up in pre-trial detention, stating, “On his platform, he allowed countless offenses and crimes to be committed for which he does nothing to moderate or cooperate.”