The Wall Street Journal learned from its insiders that even 6 years ago, the French leader Emmanuel Macron personally offered Telegram founder Pavel Durov to move the headquarters of the messenger to Paris.
Points of attention
- Pavlo Durov initially refused Macron's proposal, but later agreed to it.
- The founder of Telegram ignored the calls of law enforcement agencies against the background of the use of the messenger by terrorists.
- French special services conducted a secret operation against Pavlo Durov.
What is known about the secret meeting between Macron and Durov
According to anonymous sources, back in 2018, the Russian programmer and the French president met during a lunch, which was not reported publicly.
It was then that Emmanuel Macron first spoke about the possibility of granting Pavlo Durov French citizenship.
Journalists received information that then the founder of Telegram refused this unexpected offer.
However, as noted, only three years have passed since their meeting, and the Russian still received French citizenship.
Insiders also say that a year before the meeting between Macron and Durov, the French special services conducted a joint operation with the UAE, as a result of which the iPhone of a Russian programmer was hacked.
The espionage operation, which was also previously unreported, was codenamed "Purple Music."
Why did the French security forces conduct a secret operation against Durov
As the journalists learned, they were extremely concerned that the terrorist "Islamic State" was using Telegram to recruit fighters and plan attacks.
Pavlo Durov and his team for a long time ignored summonses and court orders sent by law enforcement agencies.
While there is no indication that these earlier discussions with Macron or the hacking of Durov's phone played any role in his detention, the details shed new light on Durov's long and complicated relationship with France and the UAE, the journalists explained.
Macron himself continues to claim that the arrest of the Russian programmer is not a political issue.
