Telegram Boss Pavel Durov Detained in France – French Media

one hour ago

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was detained at a Paris airport for allegedly enabling criminal activity with his encrypted messaging app, French media reported Saturday.[1]

France issued an arrest warrant for Durov on charges of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children and fraud due to the lack of moderation on Telegram and his failure to cooperate with law enforcement, the TF1, LCI and BFMTV media outlets reported.

The 39-year-old billionaire was detained on the tarmac of Paris-Le Bourget Airport after his private jet landed from Azerbaijan, TF1 reported.

TF1 quoted an anonymous investigator as saying that Durov would most likely be placed in pre-trial detention.

"On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of offenses and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate [with law enforcement]," TF1 quoted a source close to the case as saying.

The arrest warrant was reportedly only valid in France.

Durov allegedly knew that he was persona non grata in France, traveled little in Europe and avoided countries where Telegram was under surveillance by security forces, a source close to the investigation told TF1.

"He made a mistake tonight. We don't know why… Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he's in custody," TF1 quoted the source as saying.

Telegram is widely used by Russian speakers.

It has become a key platform for sharing information about the war in Ukraine and is reportedly used by the Russian military to communicate.

"Telegram is the main social media network through which open-source information is spread about the war. That includes footage but also opinions and analysis from Russian and Ukrainian military sources. A significant change to Telegram's policies could have a significant effect on the information domain for this war," military expert Rob Lee said on X (formerly Twitter).

Deputy Russian State Duma Speaker Vladislav Davankov said he had sent an appeal to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to seek Durov's release.

"His arrest may be politically motivated and a tool to gain access to the personal information of Telegram users. This must not be allowed," the state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted Davankov as saying.

The Russian-born boss of Telegram, which he says boasts over 900 million users, is currently based in Dubai. He became a naturalized French citizen in August 2021.

Durov, also the founder of the VKontakte social network, left Russia in 2014 after he refused to share VKontakte users' data with Russian security services. Russia later unsuccessfully attempted to block Telegram over its refusal to provide users’ online communications to security services.

"His non-cooperation with the FSB in favor of free speech is unfortunately completely neutralized by his non-cooperation with anyone to stop Telegram from being used for all these terrible things. It was his choice. Was it possible to do one and not do the other?" wrote investigative journalist Christo Grozev.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/08/25/telegram-boss-pavel-durov-detained-in-france-french-media-a86138

[1]INFO TF1/LCI: the founder and CEO of Telegram messaging in France

by Antoine LLORCA with Raphael Maillochon

Published on 24 August 2024 at 22.24 p.m., updated on 25 August 2024 at 00:17

https://www.tf1info.fr/justice-faits-divers/info-tf1-lci-le-fondateur-et-pdg-de-la-messagerie-cryptee-telegram-interpelle-en-france-2316072.html

>>21476365

[?]

WASHED UP ACTOR LOONEY CLOONEY & WIFE TO HUNT DOWN RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS

Must be because they're qualified in propaganda?

Anna Neistat, the legal director of the Clooney Foundation's Docket Project, says that the criminal code of some European countries has an article on "spreading war propaganda."

The foundation notes that it is preparing requests to initiate proceedings in countries where such norms exist. If an arrest warrant is issued, journalists will be detained throughout Europe by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).

Read that again: Journalists will be detained by Europol.

But wait there's more - the names of journalists to be prosecuted are not disclosed, so a person may travel to said European country, unaware that there is an arrest warrant out for them.

The foundation says they are "the most obvious Russian propagandists, the most prominent among them" but will not name who.

Where is rock bottom for democracy? Is it a bottomless barrel?

https://t.me/IntelRepublic/37983

>>21476365

[translation]

INFO TF1/LCI: the founder and CEO of Telegram messaging in France

Published today at 22:24, updated -513 min

According to our information, the founder and CEO of the secure messaging Telegram was arrested this Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport.

Pavel Durov, a 39-Russian French-Russian, was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram encrypted messaging, was arrested around 8 p.m. this Saturday evening when he was pulled down his private jet on the tarmac of Le Bourget airport. Aged 39, the French-Russian was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.

The arrest was carried out by the gendarmes of the GTA (Air Transport Gendarmerie). Filed to the RPF (Filled People's Register), Pavel Durov arrived straight from Azerbaijan. It had a French research mandate issued by the OFMIN of the National Directorate of the French Judicial Police, issued on the basis of a preliminary investigation, issued above the head.

Why was he under threat of a research mandate?

The Justice considers that the lack of moderation, cooperation with the forces of law and order and the tools offered by Telegram (disposable number, cryptocurrencies, etc.) makes it complicit in drug trafficking, paedo criminal offences and fraud.

This research mandate ran if, and only if, Pavel Durov were in the national territory. "He made a pellet tonight. We don't know why… Was this theft just one step? In any case, it is ready-made", slips a source close to the investigation to TF1/LCI. Ever since he knew himself persona non grata in France, Pavel Durov used to travel to the Emirates, to the countries of the former USSR, to South America … He had travelled very little in Europe and avoided the countries where Telegram is under surveillance.

What now?

Investigators from the National Anti-Fraud Office attached to the Customs Directorate (ONAF) notified him and held him in police custody. He should be presented to an investigating judge this Saturday evening before a possible indictment on Sunday for a multitude of offences: terrorism, narcotics, complicity, fraud, money laundering, concealment, child-criminal content…

https://www.tf1info.fr/justice-faits-divers/info-tf1-lci-le-fondateur-et-pdg-de-la-messagerie-cryptee-telegram-interpelle-en-france-2316072.html