United Arab Emirates monitors arrest of Telegram CEO Durov as French detention sparks global outrage

The United Arab Emirates said on Monday it was closely monitoring developments surrounding Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov following his arrest by French authorities on Saturday.

The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry said it had “requested the French government to urgently provide him with all consular services,” it said in a statement.

“Caring for citizens, safeguarding their interests and providing all necessary support are the UAE’s top priority,” the ministry said.

Durov, a Russian-born businessman and Emirati citizen, was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget airport on Saturday as part of a judicial investigation launched last month.

The investigation against Durov concerns twelve alleged crimes related to the messaging app Telegram, the Paris public prosecutor’s office announced on Monday.

The charges include aiding and abetting illegal transactions, refusing to cooperate with law enforcement, engaging in child pornography and drug trafficking, organized fraud, money laundering, and the unauthorized provision of cryptographic tools.

Durov, who holds citizenship of France, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and St. Kitts and Nevis, was arrested by French authorities on Saturday evening as he disembarked from his private jet outside Paris.

The move outraged the crypto community and privacy advocates, including Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who was convicted of leaking classified information.

Responding to the backlash, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that Durov’s detention was not politically motivated and that his country was “deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication.”

Earlier this week, Telegram responded to the arrest by claiming that its CEO had “nothing to hide” and that it was “absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform.”

A French investigating judge extended Durov’s pre-trial detention on Sunday evening, but no charges had been brought against him as of Monday afternoon.

Under French law, Durov can be held for questioning for up to four days, after which judges must decide whether to press charges or release him.

According to Durov, Telegram’s user base exceeded 950 million in July, citing a sharp increase in user numbers related to the popularity of crypto-based games available on the platform via integrated “mini-apps.”

Hamster Kombat, the most popular among them, has reportedly attracted over 300 million players in the last few months ahead of the upcoming token launch and airdrop.