Kremlin Awaits French Police Explanation Over Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrest

JAKARTA - The Kremlin said it did not know what charges were filed against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who was arrested by French police. Russia will wait for an official statement on his detention before responding to the arrest.

Durov, the Russian-born billionaire owner of the Telegram messaging app, was detained at Le Bourget airport outside the French capital shortly after landing on a private jet on Saturday night.

"We do not yet know what exactly Durov is accused of," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a news conference as reported by Reuters on Monday, August 26.

"We have not heard any official statements on this matter, and before we say anything, we must wait until the situation becomes clear. What exactly are they trying to incriminate Durov with? Without (his) knowledge, it would probably be wrong to make any statements," Peskov said.

Durov remained in custody on Monday and was being questioned by police, French media reported. Paris has not officially confirmed his arrest.

Durov, who holds dual French and UAE citizenship, was arrested as part of a preliminary police investigation into allegations that he allowed crimes to be committed using his platform due to a lack of moderation on Telegram and a lack of cooperation with police.

The encrypted Telegram app, based in Dubai, has nearly 1 billion users and is highly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet republics.

Durov left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on the social media platform VKontakte, which he also founded and later sold.