US arranged Durov's arrest, claims ex-spokesperson
According to his former press secretary, the founder and CEO of Telegram only traveled to Paris because he believed he was not in danger. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov would not have risked his safety by traveling to Paris had he anticipated any serious threat from French authorities, his ex-press secretary Georgy Loboushkin disclosed to RT. According to Loboushkin, the directive to apprehend Durov may have originated from the U.S.
Upon his arrival at Paris-Le Bourget Airport from Azerbaijan via a private jet, Durov was taken into custody on Saturday. Reports from French media suggest that the 39-year-old is facing charges related to complicity in drug trafficking, pedophilia offenses, and fraud, with allegations pointing toward inadequate content moderation on Telegram, robust encryption features of the app, and a supposed reluctance to collaborate with law enforcement, facilitating criminal activities on the platform.
“It’s a big mystery why he disregarded his own safety and decided to land in Paris,” Loboushkin remarked to RT. “He has shown throughout his history that he is a pretty cautious person in that sense. He has said many times that there is no point in going to jail.”
Loboushkin speculated that Durov might not have been aware of the impending arrest warrant or believed that Telegram's adherence to local laws and sanctions would keep him out of grave legal trouble.
“I think the attack is coming neither from the EU nor from France,” Loboushkin stated. “It’s most likely an attack from the United States, which has been after Pavel Durov for a long time, and Durov has always talked about it.”
“He said, for example in an interview with Tucker Carlson, that he and his employees are under pressure, or at least there’s some kind of surveillance conducted by the FBI,” he continued. “I think the root causes are there, so it doesn’t make any sense to discuss the intentions of the French authorities who arrested him, because they don’t play any role here at all.”
In a discussion with Carlson in April, Durov highlighted how his visits to the U.S. invariably drew significant law enforcement scrutiny, including attempts by American intelligence to recruit one of his staff to deploy a backdoor within Telegram for spying purposes.
Loboushkin is not alone in attributing the U.S. influence to Durov's detention. Ekaterina Mizulina, leading Russia’s Safe Internet League, pinpointed the U.S. as primarily responsible, suggesting that the arrest aimed to impede free information flow and target the TON, a blockchain platform initiated by the founders of Telegram, which has attracted significant investments from major Russian companies.
Further, American investor David Sacks commented on X, stating that Durov’s dedication to preserving free speech and user privacy has made him a target for authorities in Washington. He referred to the practice of utilizing allied nations to sidestep First Amendment rights as "the new Rendition," closely relating it to the U.S. strategies post-September 11, involving foreign sites for transporting terror suspects.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
Upon his arrival at Paris-Le Bourget Airport from Azerbaijan via a private jet, Durov was taken into custody on Saturday. Reports from French media suggest that the 39-year-old is facing charges related to complicity in drug trafficking, pedophilia offenses, and fraud, with allegations pointing toward inadequate content moderation on Telegram, robust encryption features of the app, and a supposed reluctance to collaborate with law enforcement, facilitating criminal activities on the platform.
“It’s a big mystery why he disregarded his own safety and decided to land in Paris,” Loboushkin remarked to RT. “He has shown throughout his history that he is a pretty cautious person in that sense. He has said many times that there is no point in going to jail.”
Loboushkin speculated that Durov might not have been aware of the impending arrest warrant or believed that Telegram's adherence to local laws and sanctions would keep him out of grave legal trouble.
“I think the attack is coming neither from the EU nor from France,” Loboushkin stated. “It’s most likely an attack from the United States, which has been after Pavel Durov for a long time, and Durov has always talked about it.”
“He said, for example in an interview with Tucker Carlson, that he and his employees are under pressure, or at least there’s some kind of surveillance conducted by the FBI,” he continued. “I think the root causes are there, so it doesn’t make any sense to discuss the intentions of the French authorities who arrested him, because they don’t play any role here at all.”
In a discussion with Carlson in April, Durov highlighted how his visits to the U.S. invariably drew significant law enforcement scrutiny, including attempts by American intelligence to recruit one of his staff to deploy a backdoor within Telegram for spying purposes.
Loboushkin is not alone in attributing the U.S. influence to Durov's detention. Ekaterina Mizulina, leading Russia’s Safe Internet League, pinpointed the U.S. as primarily responsible, suggesting that the arrest aimed to impede free information flow and target the TON, a blockchain platform initiated by the founders of Telegram, which has attracted significant investments from major Russian companies.
Further, American investor David Sacks commented on X, stating that Durov’s dedication to preserving free speech and user privacy has made him a target for authorities in Washington. He referred to the practice of utilizing allied nations to sidestep First Amendment rights as "the new Rendition," closely relating it to the U.S. strategies post-September 11, involving foreign sites for transporting terror suspects.
Rohan Mehta for TROIB News
