French police arrested Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov on Saturday at an airport near Paris under a warrant for offences related to the popular messaging app, officials said.
The Franco-Russian billionaire, 39, was detained at Le Bourget airport north of the French capital on Saturday evening, one of the officials told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Pavel Durov was the subject of an arrest warrant and was stopped as he got off his private jet, according to TV channel TF1.
According to the media, the billionaire, who holds dual French-Russian nationality, was the subject of a French search warrant issued by the Office mineurs (OFMIN), a national police investigation unit responsible for combating the most serious offenses against minors.
TF1 and BFM TV reported that Pavel Durov was complicit in certain offenses committed on Telegram due to the lack of moderation on the application.
Telegram did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The French Ministry of the Interior and the Paris police prefect had no comment. OFMIN could not be reached to respond to a request for comment.
Pavel Durov was arrested at around 8:00 pm on Saturday evening on his way from Azerbaijan, according to media reports. The warrant for his arrest was valid only if the billionaire was on French territory.
TF1 states that the Telegram founder is expected to be presented to an investigating judge on Saturday evening before a possible indictment on Sunday for various offenses.