Pavel Durov, often referred to as the Russian counterpart to Mark Zuckerberg, was held at a French airport.
French anti-fraud authorities, linked to customs, apprehended him upon his arrival at Bourget Airport following a private jet journey from Azerbaijan, as reported by BFMTV.
As per BFMTV, the founder of Telegram, frequently referred to as the "Zuckerberg of Russia", hasn't frequently visited France and Europe since the issuance of an arrest warrant against him.
Durov, 39, was sought by French authorities due to the absence of content moderation on Telegram, leading to its use in money laundering, drug trafficking, and the dissemination of pedophilic content, as reported by BFMTV. Regulators from the European Union have been active in curbing online platforms to combat false information and unlawful content.
The Russian Embassy in France confirmed Durov's detention on Sunday, stating they are in touch with his attorney.
The French prosecutor's office has yet to respond to CNN's request for a comment.
Durov and his brother, Nikolai Durov, launched Telegram in 2013. The app boasts 900 million active users.
According to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index, Pavel Durov's net worth is estimated at $9.15 billion.
He left Russia in 2014, refusing to comply with demands from the Russian government to disclose data on Ukrainian Vkontakte users, and now resides in Dubai.
The tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov, with a significant impact in the tech business, faces allegations of inadequate content moderation on Telegram, leading to its association with illegitimate activities in Europe. Regulators in the tech business sector are increasingly focusing on combating false information and unlawful content on online platforms.
