Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, was reportedly arrested in Paris on Saturday. Former kickboxer Andrew Tate in a tweet revealed the 39-year-old was detained for 'failing to censor the truth on his application'. Officials have not issued a formal statement yet. Toncoin plummeted as soon as Tate's tweet was out.
"Potential charges include support for terrorism, drug trafficking, complicity in crimes, mass fraud, money laundering, concealment, pedophile content, sanctions evasion, and more. They want to control information everywhere," Tate revealed on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
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Several reports said that Durov was arrested at the Paris Airport-Le Bourget as soon as he stepped off from his private jet. He was travelling from Azerbaijan.
Cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON), which was developed by Nikolai and Pavel Durov plummeted over 10% after reports about the latter's arrest came out.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨THE FOUNDER & CEO OF TELEGRAM,PAVEL DUROV, HAS BEEN ARRESTED IN FRANCE.TON IS DOWN 14% 🩸 pic.twitter.com/obDYNpdl58
— Ash Crypto (@Ashcryptoreal) August 24, 2024
Reports further added that Durov was arrested at around 8 PM on Saturday by gendarmes from the GTA (Air Transport Gendarmerie). He was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman, French outlet TF1 Info added.
Who is Pavel Durov?
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Pavel Durov is a Russian-born entrepreneur best known for founding VK (VKontakte), Russia's largest social networking platform, and Telegram, a globally popular messaging app. Durov launched VK in 2006. However, in 2014, he faced pressure from Russian authorities to release user data and sell his shares. Refusing to comply, he was ousted from the company and forced to sell his remaining stake.
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In 2013, Durov introduced Telegram, a messaging platform focused on privacy and encryption. Telegram quickly gained popularity due to its security features and ability to handle large group chats and channels.
Durov is widely recognized for his strong stance on privacy and freedom of speech. He is known for rejecting government requests to compromise these principles, even under pressure from powerful regimes.