After seizure in Paris:

Automatically saved draft

The head of the messenger app Telegram, who was arrested in France, remains in police custody for the time being. The investigating judge in charge in Paris decided on Sunday evening that his detention would be extended for questioning, said a source familiar with the investigation.

The detention can last up to 96 hours. The judge must then decide whether to release Pavel Durov or open an investigation.

The 39-year-old was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening. He was the subject of an arrest warrant for preliminary investigations in connection with allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, online bullying, organized crime and promoting terrorism. Durov is accused of not doing enough to prevent the use of his messenger service for criminal purposes.

Telegram declared on Sunday evening that Durov had "nothing to hide". The 39-year-old, who has Russian and French citizenship, "frequently travels to Europe", the online service said in a statement. Telegram complies with European laws and the moderation of content on the platform is "customary in the industry". It is "absurd" to hold a platform or its boss responsible "for the misuse of this platform".

Telegram does not disclose user data
The encrypted messaging service Telegram has established itself as an alternative to US platforms since it was founded in 2013. Telegram refuses to disclose any user data, even in the case of criminal offenses.

Telegram allows groups with up to 200,000 users. This has led to the online service being accused of facilitating the spread of misinformation, paedophile or far-right content and conspiracy theories.

The competing messenger service Whatsapp introduced limits on the dissemination of posts in 2019. The app had previously been accused of enabling the spread of false information that led to lynchings in India.