The Russian founder of messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, has been arrested after arriving in Paris in a private jet, local broadcaster LCI reports.

Durov, who received a French passport in 2021, was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget airport around 8 p.m. local time, the outlet reported Saturday. He is also a citizen of the UAE, Saint Kitts and Nevis and his native Russia.

His jet had arrived in the French capital from Azerbaijan. The 39-year-old was accompanied by a woman and his bodyguard, it added.

According to LCI, French authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the tech entrepreneur as part of a preliminary investigation. Paris believes that Telegram’s inadequate moderation, encryption tools and alleged lack of cooperation with police could make Durov complicit in drug trafficking, pedophilia and fraud, the company said.

Broadcaster TF1 reported that Durov is due to appear in court on Sunday evening and could face up to 20 years in prison.

As a French national, the Telegram founder could also be accused of violating sanctions imposed by the EU on Moscow over his contacts in Russia.

Durov’s arrest warrant was only valid on French territory. “He made a mistake tonight. We don’t know why,” a source close to the investigation told TF1-LCI. “He’s locked up anyway.”

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