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Durov spoke about contacts with French counterintelligence, media reported
[Regnum] The founder of the Telegram messenger Pavel Durov was in contact with French counterintelligence, including in the UAE, before his arrest at Paris's Le Bourget airport. He stated this during interrogation, the Libération newspaper reported on August 31 , citing a source. Durov admitted that he met with representatives of the French General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) in Dubai. During the meeting, he made it clear that he considered it inappropriate to disclose “information constituting a military secret,” the publication notes, without explaining what he was talking about. The businessman said that he had opened an official communication channel with the DGSI as part of the fight against terrorism, thanks to which several terrorist attacks had been prevented. After his arrest, Durov expressed his willingness to cooperate and provided French law enforcement with his mobile phone and access code. When Durov was detained, the Elysee Palace was informed. The next day, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the situation with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan , the article says. The newspaper notes that Durov had previously received French citizenship on Macron's orders. During his visit to Belgrade on August 29, Macron called the decision "completely justified." According to TF1, Durov tried several times to obtain a French passport, but his requests were rejected due to not meeting the criteria. As reported by Regnum News Agency , on August 24, Durov was detained at Paris's Le Bourget Airport, where he arrived from Azerbaijan. The businessman is accused of ten criminal offenses and faces up to 10 years in prison. After the hearing on August 28, Durov was transferred from custody to judicial supervision, ordered to post bail in the amount of 5 million euros, and banned from leaving France. According to Durov, he flew to Paris for dinner with Macron. The French leader said that he did not know about Durov's arrival and did not intend to meet with him. Russia considers Durov its citizen and is ready to provide him with all necessary assistance, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, on August 29. He added that the cases against Durov should not become political persecution. According to American journalist Tucker Carlson , Durov could not have been detained in France without the approval of the administration of US President Joe Biden . Related: Pavel Durov 08/31/2024 Soro's backed Media Matters could now be forced to pay back all the ad revenue 𝕏 has lost as a result of their lies Pavel Durov 08/30/2024 'Cleaning Up the Crypto Market.' Why the US Is Up in arms about Pavel Durov Pavel Durov 08/29/2024 Paris court releases Durov under supervision with bail of 5 million euros, faces 10 year sentence Posted by: badanov 2024-09-01 |
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