French Authorities Arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in Airport Outside of Paris
Jose Nino
|
French authorities arrested Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, at the Bourget airport right outside of Paris on August 24, 2024.
Per a report by TF1 TV, Durov was traveling on his private jet after arriving from Azerbaijan. His arrival on French soil prompted the OFMIN of the French judicial police to issue a search warrant to pursue Durov, who was included in a wanted persons file (FPR).
Telegram is known for offering end-to-end encrypted messaging and lets users create “channels” to spread information quickly to their followers.
“He made a blunder this evening. We don’t know why … Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he’s in custody!” a source connected to the investigation said to TF1 TV.
The National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) arrested Durov over how he allegedly facilitated multiple crimes that ranged from fraud, narcotics trafficking, and terrorism.
“On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of offenses and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate,” a source said to TF1 TV.
Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom characterized Durov’s arrest as part of a globalist ruling class “crackdown against free speech.”
Dotcom called on Telegram users “Backup and clean your Telegram account while you still can.”
Durov is a 39-year-old Russian national who left Russia in 2014 after he refused to follow through with demands to crack down against communities on his VK social media platform, which he subsequently sold. Durov currently lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates where Telegram is headquartered. He is also a French and Emirati dual national.
The Telegram CEO has an estimated net worth of $15.5 billion. He claims that governments have routinely pressured him to shut down his operations. The messaging app has 900 million active users and was founded by Durov and his brother in 2013. Durov has stressed that Telegram must remain neutral as a platform and not serve as a “player in geopolitics.”
Per a report by The Guardian, the Russian embassy in France is reportedly taking “immediate steps” to get a handle on the situation.
The arrest of Durov is clearly politically motivated. Telegram has helped disseminate many anti-establishment narratives that go against the globalist ruling class’s agenda.
For that reason, France, a NATO satrapy of the US-led order, will gladly try to arrest an individual who provides a platform to many people who challenge the globalist class’ unholy machinations.
Share: