The possibility that the US government may have been involved in the arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov in France earlier this month is “concerning,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said. The US-based billionaire previously called on the French government to clarify the nature of their legal grievances with the Russian tech entrepreneur.
The 39-year-old, who is also a citizen of France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis, was detained last week upon arrival at Paris-Le Bourget Airport. A magistrates court in Paris formally indicted Durov on Wednesday, accusing him of complicity in a number of offenses.
The Telegram founder was released on a €5 million ($5.55 million) bond and was ordered to remain in France until the investigation has concluded.
Commenting on Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with internet freedom activist Mike Benz, Musk wrote in a post on X on Friday that it was a “concerning possibility” that Washington may have had a hand in Durov’s apprehension.
Speaking to the executive director of the Foundation For Freedom Online earlier this week, Carlson claimed that it was “very hard for a bystander without direct knowledge, being me, to believe that [French President Emmanuel] Macron could or would have done that without the encouragement or at least agreement of the Biden administration.”
Responding to a post on X by Macron, who denied that there was any political motive behind the recent developments regarding Durov, Musk wrote: “It would be helpful to the global public to understand more details about why he was arrested.”
According to the French court, the Telegram CEO was charged with a dozen offenses, including complicity in “administering an online platform” used by a criminal gang to conduct an illicit transaction – a charge that carries a maximum penalty of ten years behind bars. The other charges include facilitating fraud, money laundering, and the distribution of narcotics and child pornography, as well as refusal to turn over user data to law enforcement investigations.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson in April, the entrepreneur claimed that he had received “too much attention” from the FBI and other law enforcement agencies while on US soil.
Following Durov’s arrest, Carlson, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, former CIA and NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and Silicon Valley investor David Sacks all spoke out in support of the Telegram founder.