Pavel Durov, the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, was arrested around 20pm on Saturday as he disembarked from his private jet at Bourget airport in Paris.

The 39-year-old Franco-Russian man was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.

The arrest was made by the Air Transport Gendarmerie (GTA). Durov, who was listed in the FPR (Requested Persons File), had just arrived from Azerbaijan.

He was the subject of a French search warrant issued by the French National Judicial Police following a preliminary investigation.

The investigation focused on the lack of moderation on Telegram, which the police considered criminal activity allowed to continue unhindered on the messaging application./ATSh.