Pavel Durov, the billionaire co-founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram was arrested at the Bourget airport outside of Paris Saturday evening, according to TF1 TV, citing an unnamed source.

According to the report, Durov, 39, was traveling aboard his private jet after arriving from Azerbaijan, which triggered a French search warrant issued by the OFMIN of the French judicial police due to his inclusion in a wanted persons file (FPR).

Telegram offers end-to-end encrypted messaging - and allows users to set up "channels" to disseminate information quickly to followers.

"He made a blunder this evening. We don’t know why … Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he’s in custody!" a source close to the investigation told the news outlet (translated by Google).

Durav was detained by the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF), over the alleged facilitation of various crimes including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and fraud.

"On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of offences and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate," a source told TF1 TV.

The arrest was characterized by Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom as part of the "crackdown against free speech."

Dotcom recommends that people "Backup and clean your Telegram account while you still can."

The Russian-born Durov notably left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he has since sold. He now lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and holds dual citizenship in France and the UAE.

Durov, whose net worth is estimated at $15.5 billion, has said that some governments had sought to pressure him, but that the Telegram app - which has 900 million active users, should remain a "neutral platform," and not a "player in geopolitics." Durov and his brother founded Telegram in 2013.

According to The Guardian, the Russian embassy in France is taking "immediate steps" to clarify the situation.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

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