Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested by French police at the airport north of Paris.
According to French media reports, Durov was detained after his private plane landed at Le Bourget Airport.
The 39-year-old man was arrested for crimes related to the popular messaging app, according to officials.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the Russian Embassy in France is taking “immediate steps” to clarify the situation.
French television channel TF1 said on its website that Durov had been traveling by private jet.
Telegram is particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet countries.
The app was banned in Russia in 2018 due to Durov’s previous refusal to hand over user data.
But the ban was lifted in 2021.
Telegram is Rated as one of the major social media platforms Following Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.
Mr. Durov founded Telegram in 2013. Left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands He shut down the opposition community on the VKontakte social media platform he sold.
