(Reuters) – Pavel Durov, billionaire creator and chief executive officer of the Telegram messaging application, was detained at the Bourget airport terminal outside Paris on Saturday night, TF1 television and BFM television stated, mentioning unrevealed resources.
TF1 and BFM both stated the examination was concentrated on an absence of mediators on Telegram, which cops took into consideration that this scenario enabled criminal task to take place undeterred on the messaging application.
Telegram did not instantly reply to a Reuters ask for remark. The French Interior Ministry and cops had no remark. Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated it was taking actions to “clarify” the scenario and examined whether Western non-governmental companies (NGOs) would certainly seek his launch.
What is found out about Durov and Telegram:
* Russian- birthed Durov, 39, is creator and proprietor of messaging application Telegram, a cost-free to make use of system that takes on various other social networks systems such as Facebook’s What sApp, or Instagram, TikTok andWechat The system intends to go beyond one billion energetic month-to-month individuals within a year.
* Telegram is prominent in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the previousSoviet Union It has actually come to be an essential resource of details on Russia’s battle in Ukraine, utilized greatly by both Moscow and Kyiv authorities. Some experts call the application “a virtual battlefield” for the battle.
* Durov, whose ton of money was approximated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, left Russia in 2014 after rejecting to follow federal government needs to close down resistance areas on his VKontakte social networks system, which he marketed.
* Russian and French media claim Durov ended up being a French person in 2021. He relocated himself and Telegram to Dubai in 2017.
* “I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone,” Durov informed united state reporter Tucker Carlson in April regarding his departure from Russia and look for a home for his business that included jobs in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.
* In the exact same meeting, Durov stated that, past cash or Bitcoin, he had no significant building such as realty, jets or private yachts, as he intended to be totally free.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by David Gregorio)
