Pavel Durov, a 39-year-old entrepreneur known for creating the instant messaging service Telegram, was arrested Saturday night at Le Bourget airport. According to the charges, which include terrorism, drugs, complicity, fraud, money laundering, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
The native token TON, actively used in Telegram, has already reacted, falling 15% in price and 61.3% in total value locked in the blockchain.
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The reaction, of course, stirred social media, and in particular the crypto space. Among those who weighed in was Max Keiser, known for his maximalist views on Bitcoin (BTC) and as an advisor to Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador.
In a new post on X, Keiser stressed that BTC remains the only truly secure cryptocurrency. He pointed out that other altcoins, such as XRP and Cardano, are more susceptible to legal problems, while Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, remained anonymous to avoid those risks.
Bitcoin next?
The wisdom of the anonymous Bitcoin co-founder regarding his incognito has definitely played out in new colors yesterday.
However, there is also the opinion that if the authorities succeed in the Durov case, Bitcoin will not survive for long, and if Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity could be determined by Interpol methods, he would have been arrested long ago. Either way, BTC is in the crosshairs, some believe.
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If Telegram falls, the first cryptocurrency may also fall, although they are not connected externally or internally. Skeptics believe that the government, having won once, will want to repeat the banquet.