Source: Reuters
“Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France as part of an ongoing judicial investigation, and there was no political motive, French President Macron said on Monday. Macron’s statement on X amounted to the first official confirmation of Durov’s arrest, nearly two days since he was detained at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet from Azerbaijan. The lack of official confirmation had led to speculation about the reasons behind his detention. Macron said he had read ‘false information here regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov,’ adding France was deeply committed to free speech. ‘The arrest of the Telegram president on French territory took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation,’ Macron wrote. ‘This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide.'” (08/26/24)