French President Emmanuel Macron offered Telegram Messenger Inc. CEO Pavel Durov to move the company's headquarters to Paris, Ednews informs that The Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources.
According to the report, Macron made the offer to Durov during a private lunch in 2018. However, the executive rejected the proposal. The sources also revealed that in 2017, French spies set up a joint action with the United Arab Emirates, code-named Purple Music, in which they hacked Durov's iPhone. This operation was launched because French security authorities were concerned over the Islamic State's use of Telegram to recruit new operatives. However, both France and the UAE granted Durov citizenship in 2021.
Telegram CEO was arrested in France over the weekend after an investigation launched by the prosecutor's office on July 8, 2024. The Paris Judicial Court charged Durov with 12 criminal counts.
