French president says arrest of Telegram CEO 'in no way a political decision'

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, is not a political decision.

"I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so," Macron wrote on X.

He said that the arrest of Durov on French soil took place "as part of an ongoing judicial investigation."

"It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter," he added.

Durov was arrested around 8 p.m. (1800GMT) on Saturday as he alighted from his private jet at Bourget Airport in Paris.

The 39-year-old Franco-Russian, who was listed as a wanted person in France, had just arrived from Azerbaijan.

The French judicial authorities decided late Sunday to extend his custody, which is limited to 96 hours, the weekly Le Point reported.

At the end of his detention, Durov must be released or brought before a judge for possible indictment.

After conducting a preliminary investigation, the French National Judicial Police issued his search warrant.

The investigation focused on Telegram's alleged lack of moderation, which police believed enabled criminal activity to continue undeterred on the messaging app.

* Nur Asena Erturk contributed this report from Ankara.