France Extends Retention Of Pavel Durov, Russia Accuses US Of Trying Telegram

Pavel Durov. (Wikimedia Commons/TechCrunch)

JAKARTA - Russia accused the United States of being behind the detention of Pavel Durov, when France extended the detention of the Telegram messaging app boss.

French police can detain Durov until Wednesday, after prosecutors give approval for additional time for interrogation.

Durov, who holds a French passport, was detained at Le Bourget Airport on the outskirts of Paris on the night of August 24, with a number of charges charged against him, French media reported. Durov's detention occurred when he was about to leave a private plane suspected of arriving from Azerbaijan.

A spokesman for the public prosecutor said on Tuesday Durov's detention had been extended to 48 hours on Monday evening.

Separately, Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said the United States, via France, was trying to control Telegram.

"Telegram is one of the few and at the same time the largest Internet platform that the United States cannot influence," Volodin said in a post.

"Ahead of the US Presidential election, it is important for (President Joe) Biden to control Telegram," he continued.

The White House's Piahk did not immediately comment on Durov's arrest.

Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that Durov's arrest was not politically related, ensuring France's commitment to freedom of expression and communication, after the circulation of misinformation about France after Durov's arrest.

"In a country governed by legal rules, freedom is enforced within the legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their basic rights," he explained, saying the arrests were part of an ongoing court investigation.

It is known that the Telegram messaging application has been used by nearly 1 billion users. Millions of users usually like the application because of its ease of use and its various functions.