ISTANBUL

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). Durov, who was listed in the FPR (Wanted Persons File), had just arrived from Azerbaijan.

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.