PARIS: Telegram boss Pavel Durov could possibly be held in police custody till Wednesday (Aug 28) after French prosecutors mentioned they’d granted further time for questioning, whereas a senior ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged Washington was behind his arrest.
Durov, a Russian-born billionaire, was arrested in France over the weekend as a part of an investigation into crimes associated to photographs of child sex abuse, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform, French prosecutors mentioned on Monday.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the general public prosecutor mentioned Durov’s detention had been prolonged by as much as 48 hours late on Monday.
The messaging platform, which analysts have described as a digital battlefield, has been closely utilized by each side of the warfare in Ukraine and war-related information and propaganda channels across the globe.
With out offering proof, Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of Russia’s State Duma, the decrease home of parliament, mentioned the USA, via France, was making an attempt to exert management over Telegram.
“Telegram is likely one of the few and on the identical time the biggest Web platform over which the USA has no affect,” Volodin mentioned in a submit.
“On the eve of the US presidential election, it is vital for (President Joe) Biden to take Telegram below management.”
The White Home didn’t instantly touch upon Durov’s arrest.
