Baku, August 25, AZERTAC

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, was arrested around 8 p.m. on Saturday as he alighted from his private jet at Bourget Airport in Paris, according to French media TF1 TV.

The 39-year-old Franco-Russian was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.

The arrest was carried out by the GTA (Gendarmerie of Air Transport). He was subject to a French search warrant issued by the French National Judicial Police, following a preliminary investigation.

The investigation was focused on a lack of moderation on Telegram, which police considered allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.