The UAE suspended the contract for the purchase of 80 French fighters due to the arrest of a UAE citizen, Durov.
According to First Post, following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France, Abu Dhabi has suspended the agreement to purchase 80 fighter jets from Paris.
Durov was arrested earlier this week in France during the investigation related to the Telegram messenger. The case is said to be related to Telegram’s failure to pay attention to requests to investigate illegal activities, including arms trafficking and the publication of child sexual abuse content. Durov was born in Russia and holds dual French-Emirati citizenship.
The Avia.pro website claimed in a report that the United Arab Emirates reacted strongly to Durov’s arrest and, in response to this action by France, suspended the agreement to purchase 80 “Rafael” fighter planes from this country.
According to this media, the said agreement is now in danger due to the extension of Durov’s detention in France. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates announced in a statement that it is closely following Durov’s case and asked the French government to immediately provide all consular services to him.
This media also claimed that there is probably a complete suspension of military-technical cooperation between Paris and Abu Dhabi due to Durov’s arrest.
The Associated Press previously wrote that Durov will remain in custody until today, and then the court will decide whether to indict or release him.
Durov’s arrest in France has raised questions about the extent to which administrators are responsible for content published on their platforms. Before this, Telegram had published a post announcing that this platform complies with EU laws and it is unreasonable to hold the owner of a platform responsible for the abuse of its users.