Custody for Telegram boss Durov extended after arrest in France

Telegram founder Pavel Durov remains in police custody after being arrested in France two days ago over alleged offences relating to the messaging app, local media reported on Monday, citing investigators.

Police custody for Durov, who is wanted in France and was detained after arriving at Paris' Le Bourget airport on Saturday on arrival from Azerbaijan, was reportedly extended on Sunday evening.

His arrest came amid a preliminary inquest into Telegram's lack of moderation and cooperation with law enforcement regarding drug trafficking, fraud and child-abuse offences on the social media platform, according to local media.

In a statement released following Durov's arrest, Telegram said the online messaging service was complying with EU laws and had not violated any regulations.

Telegram said in a post on X on Sunday evening that it "abides by EU laws," including the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to ensure that platforms remove illegal content from their pages quickly.

"It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," Telegram said.

"Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe," the company added.

Telegram has long faced accusations of not taking a strong enough stance against hate speech and other illegal activities.

The company said its moderation was "within industry standards" and was "constantly improving."

According to reports, French authorities launched preliminary investigations into Durov some time ago, under suspicion that he was complicit in drug trafficking, fraud and several offences relating to child abuse due to a lack of intervention at Telegram and insufficient cooperation with the authorities.

It was initially unclear why Durov, who was born in Russia and holds French citizenship, had travelled to Paris while being wanted in France.

The Paris public prosecutor's office initially refused to comment on the case.

The Russian embassy in France has taken up the case, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Moscow quoted by the Russian state news agency TASS.

The French authorities have been called upon to allow consular access to Durov, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. "The only problem is that Durov also has French citizenship," she said. "Accordingly, France will regard him first and foremost as its citizen."

Durov's relationship with the Russian authorities is considered difficult.

Durov and his brother Nikolai founded Telegram after launching VK, a Russian-language social media platform.

Telegram is one of the most important online networks in Russia and is used by many authorities and politicians.

Ukrainian authorities, politicians and the military have also been using Telegram extensively to publish information on the state of the full-scale Russian invasion.