The arrest was made under a warrant linked to certain offences to the Telegram platform(Image: X @durov)

French authorities have arrested the telegram app’s CEO Pavel Durov, the 39-year-old entrepreneur in Paris. As per the French media reports, the founder of the messaging app Durov was detained when he arrived in his private jet at Le Bourget Airport. The arrest was made under a warrant linked to certain offences to the Telegram platform but the authorities haven’t revealed the nature of the case yet.

The officials are taking immediate steps to gather information regarding the arrest as the embassy in France has responded quickly to the news. Russia’s state news agency TASS reported that the authorities have begun collecting more information related to the arrest and will take swift measures on the matter.

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Telegram founder Pavel Durov was travelling from Azerbaijan to France when the arrest occurred, allegedly linked to an ongoing preliminary police investigation in France. According to the reports, The investigation centres on Telegram‘s alleged lack of content moderation, which has raised concerns among French authorities. The French authorities reportedly believe that this situation has allowed criminal activities to flourish unchecked on the platform.

The platform has gained prominence as a source of various opinions and information about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, used by both government officials and citizens. Durov has previously stated that Telegram should remain a “neutral platform” and not a “player in geopolitics.” After the arrest,  some Russian politicians and diplomats have criticised France’s actions, with calls for protests at French embassies worldwide circulating on social media. As of now, Telegram has not responded to requests for comment, and French authorities have declined to comment on the reports.

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Telegram, which was launched in 2013 by brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov, has nearly 500 million active users and is considered a major player in global communications. Before creating Telegram, the Durov brothers founded the Russian social network VK and then left the VK platform in 2014 as the government took over the app’s authority and flew from Russia after resisting the government’s pressure and focused on expanding Telegram to more users globally.