Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening.

French authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest, citing various infractions related to his messaging platform, including fraud, drug trafficking, cyber harassment, organized crime, and promoting terrorism.

Durov, who holds both Russian and French citizenship, was detained upon arrival from Azerbaijan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed concern over his detention, seeking clarification from French authorities and questioning whether Western NGOs might intervene for his release.

Telegram, known for its strong encryption and privacy policies, has been criticized for not moderating illegal content on its platform.

Despite the legal challenges, Telegram continues to grow, with expectations to surpass a billion active users soon.