The politician referred to reports by French media, which claimed that the billionaire tech entrepreneur had been approached by French intelligence agents while in Dubai and that he had refused to share classified information.
"Day after day, the puzzle of [French President Emmanuel] Macron's delirious persistence against Pavel Durov, after having coaxed him, takes shape … Let's not forget that Macron has been using Telegram extensively with his teams for a long time, and that he feared ‘leaks’... Pavel Durov should really be careful, his life may be in danger!" Philippot said on X.
The Russian-born was detained at a Paris airport on August 24 on charges related to criminal uses of his messaging app, including terrorism, child pornography, drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud. He was released on Wednesday on a 5-million-euro ($5.5 million) bail and is barred from leaving France.
French media reported that Durov had agreed to cooperate with the French investigators and provided access to his phone. Macron is also said to have discussed the detention of Durov, who holds a UAE passport in addition to French citizenship, with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan a day after he was nabbed at the airport.