Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was detained on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport in the suburbs of Paris.
Durov was reportedly detained around 8:00 p.m. Saturday night (9:00 p.m. Kyiv time - ed.) when he disembarked from his private jet on the runway at Le Bourget airport. The 39-year-old French-Russian man was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.
Durov was registered in the file of wanted persons and arrived from Azerbaijan. France previously issued a warrant for his search.
Investigators believe that Durov's lack of cooperation with law enforcement agencies, as well as the tools offered by Telegram, make him complicit in drug trafficking, pedophile crimes and fraud, the publication says.
He is said to be due to appear before an investigating judge on Saturday night ahead of a possible arraignment on Sunday for a range of offences.