According to a local report, Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday evening by the French authorities at Le Bourget airport after his arrival on his private jet from Azerbaijan.
The report revealed that Durov, 39 years, was arrested by France’s National Anti-Fraud Office, over different charges tied to alleged illegal act by Telegram users that the messaging platform has refused to censor.
His arrest has triggered a series of criticism from all corners.
Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Arrested In France Over Content Moderation Failures
Although his detention has not yet been confirmed by the French government, there are speculations that the arrest is somehow linked to accusations of Durov’s failure to censor content on his Telegram messaging platform, which may be related to terrorism or money laundering.
Reports showed that an arrest warrant was issued after a preliminary investigation was carried out by the French authorities, which revealed that some content on Telegram may be related to money laundering or terrorism.
Crypto Community, Elon Musk, And Russia Have Reacted Strongly To Durov’s Detention
Durov’s arrest has triggered a series of criticism in Russia with the Russian Embassy requesting an explanation of the incident from France.
Several bloggers agitated for global protests from Telegram users at French embassies on Sunday afternoon in support of Durov.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s representative to international organizations in Vienna, also criticized the French authorities for its authoritarian move.
Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, also took to his X platform to defend Durov and criticize the European approach. He stated that free speech should be protected.
TON released a statement to the crypto community after Pavel Durov’s arrest saying they’re still “strong and fully operational.”
TON Addressed The Crypto Community On Durov’s Arrest
Shortly after the arrest, TON released a statement to address the crypto community saying that they are still “strong and fully operational.”
The statement made it clear that Telegram embraces “freedom of speech and decentralization,” and will not slow down despite Durov’s detention.
TON Price Plunged 17% Following The News Of The Arrest
Following the news of Durov’s arrest at Le Bourget airport in France, the price of Telegram-affiliated Toncoin (TON) dropped sharply by about 17% over the past 24 hours.
According to CoinStats, the price of TON fell from its initial price of $6.80 before the arrest to a current price of $5.61.
Originally, TON was launched internally at Telegram. However, due to regulatory scrutiny, Telegram abandoned TON in 2020, committing the project to a third party.
