- Telegram’s co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France this weekend, and now his detention has been extended.
- France can extend it even further — up to 96 hours, which it just might do.
- Although no formal charges have been announced against Durov, he is likely detained due to Telegram’s reputation as an app used extensively by criminals.
On Saturday, the co-founder and CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside of Paris, France. French officials working on behalf of the country’s Office Mineurs (OFMIN, focused on the protection of minors) took Durov into custody based on accusations that Durov fails to curb illegal activity on Telegram, including the exploitation of children, fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and promotion of terrorism.
Now, anonymous sources speaking with Agence France-Presse (via Yahoo News) say that France has apparently extended Durov’s detention beyond the initially expected 24 hours. France can do this several times — up to 96 hours of detention — without formally charging Durov. Eventually, France will either need to charge Durov or set him free when those 96 hours expire.