PARIS — French authorities have extended the detention of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, following his arrest at Bourget Airport in Paris on Saturday evening.

Durov, a 39-year-old Franco-Russian national, was detained around 8 p.m. (1800GMT) as he disembarked from his private jet after arriving from Azerbaijan, according to French media reports.

The French judicial authorities decided late Sunday to extend his custody, which can last up to 96 hours, the weekly Le Point reported. At the end of this period, Durov must either be released or brought before a judge for possible indictment.

Durov had been listed as a wanted person in France, and his arrest followed a search warrant issued by the French National Judicial Police after a preliminary investigation.

The investigation is centered on concerns over Telegram's lack of content moderation, which authorities believe has allowed criminal activities to persist on the platform unchecked. — Agencies