Who is Pavel Durov? What to know about Russian-born Telegram owner arrested in France

Pavel Durov, a Russian-born tech mogul who co-founded the popular social media platform Telegram, was arrested this weekend in France, the French press reported Sunday.

Durov's arrest was related to alleged offenses regarding the moderation of Telegram, an app popular in Russia and Ukraine, as well as a lack of cooperation with police, multiple outlets reported. Durov, the chief executive of the messaging service, was reportedly detained at Le Bourget Airport outside of Paris, where he was arriving on his private jet from Azerbaijan, according to multiple French media reports.

His arrest reportedly stems from allegations that his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other criminal activity – all of which he is accused of making possible through his hands-off content moderation policy.

Here's what to know about Durov and the messaging app he founded in 2013.

Who is Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram?

Durov, a 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire, rose to prominence in 2006 when he founded social network VKontakte (VK) – often called Russia’s version of Facebook.

In 2013, Durov and his brother, Nikolai, worked together to launch Telegram. A year later, he fled Russia after refusing to turn over encrypted data of VK users to Russian authorities. Now a dual citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, Durov runs Telegram, a massively popular messaging platform with hundreds of millions of global users, according to estimates.

His net worth is now estimated by Forbes to be about $15.5 billion, making him the world’s 121st wealthiest person.

Durov took part earlier this year in an interview with American commentator Tucker Carlson, during which he described freedom of speech being among his biggest values as a businessman.

Durov is also active on Instagram, where he often posts shirtless photographs of himself showing off his muscular physique.

What to know about Durov's arrest

Durov was arrested and detained Saturday after France’s OFMIN, which is responsible for safeguarding minors from violence, issued an arrest warrant.

The agency accused Durov of failing to crack down on criminal activity – including drug trafficking, the promotion of terrorism and fraud – taking place on his platform, news agency AFP reported.

The French newspaper Le Monde reported that authorities detained Durov as part of a preliminary investigation into whether he refused to also cooperate with law enforcement on investigations into child pornography, cyberscams, organized crime and other suspected illegal activity on Telegram.

Durov remained detained Monday for questioning by French police, Reuters reported, citing local news channel franceinfo. French authorities have not yet confirmed Durov's arrest.

A police source told Reuters that Durov was arrested at a private jet airport close to Paris. The investigation is being led by a cybersecurity gendarmerie − France's term for a military force with law enforcement duties − and the national anti-fraud police.

Telegram said Sunday that the company abides by European Union laws and maintains content moderation practices that are aligned with “industry standards.”

"Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe," Telegram said in its statement. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."

The Russian Embassy in France released a statement on social media platform X saying it had asked French authorities for an explanation for Durov's arrest and asked that his rights be protected and consular access be granted.

Musk and other free speech advocates take issue with Durov's arrest

News of Durov's arrest sparked an outcry from the most vocal proponents of free speech on the internet, including Elon Musk.

Musk, who has also made a hands-off content moderation philosophy his calling card since taking over X, posted “#FreePavel” on his account. In a separate post, he said “it’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme."

Contributing: Reuters

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Pavel Durov? Telegram co-founder arrested in France