Russia’s FSB is investigating Telegram founder Pavel Durov for allegedly facilitating terrorism, escalating pressure on the popular messaging app.

MOSCOW: Russia is investigating Telegram founder Pavel Durov as part of a criminal case on the “facilitation of terrorist activities”. The state-run newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported the news, citing materials from the Federal Security Service (FSB).

“The actions of the head of Telegram, P. Durov, are being investigated as part of a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 (assistance to terrorist activities) of the Criminal Code of Russia,” the newspaper reported. Durov could not be immediately reached for comment on the report.

Telegram, which claims over 1 billion active users globally, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The app has recently denied a host of allegations by Russia that it is a haven for criminal activity and compromised by Western and Ukrainian intelligence.

Russia’s state communications regulator has already imposed restrictions on Telegram. The regulator cited the company’s failure to delete extremist content as the reason for the move.

The app remains hugely popular in Russia for both public and private communications. Moscow is attempting to get users to switch to the state-backed alternative known as MAX, which launched almost a year ago.

 The Sun Malaysia