UAE freezes 10bln Euro- deal with France following Durov's arrest

The United Arab Emirates has completely frozen the implementation of a €10 billion contract to purchase 80 Dassault Rafale fighter jets from France following the arrest of Pavel Durov.

Azernews reports that the information has been published on social media.

Recall that Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire founder and owner of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Saturday and placed in custody.

The arrest of the 39-year-old technology billionaire prompted on Sunday a warning from Moscow to Paris that he should be accorded his rights and criticism from X owner Elon Musk who said that free speech in Europe was under attack, according to Reuters.