Law enforcement officials are investigating a recent murder linked to an encrypted assassination service on Telegram, according to a news report.
A report in Le Monde alleges that French criminal organizations are utilizing a Telegram-based service called ‘UberKills’ to commission assassinations. The report details that clients use the application to communicate with a service operator who then provides target information and weapons to the hitman.
The death of a 19-year-old in eastern France this past April is being investigated as connected to this network, Le Monde stated. The victim, identified as Abdel-Hakim B., was fatally shot in the head, and the incident was reportedly shared on Snapchat before first responders arrived.
Le Monde suggests both the victim and the suspected shooter were recruited through Telegram for local drug operations. Abdel-Hakim B., a computer science student without a criminal record, allegedly responded to an online job posting offering €220 ($260) daily for supervising a drug-dealing location the day before his death.
Police were able to identify the suspected gunman, 18-year-old Mohamed G., within eight days using surveillance footage and digital evidence. He had traveled from Paris to Lyon by high-speed train and arrived at the crime scene via taxi.
Mohamed G. was apprehended at his parents’ residence, where authorities discovered the clothes he was wearing during the murder. A woman accused of assisting with his travel and planning was also arrested and charged, though she denies knowing she was aiding in a murder. Authorities claim she received €700, while the total payment for the killing amounted to €2,500.
According to a senior police officer in Lyon, law enforcement has observed an increase in the use of apps and online networks in criminal activities over the last three to four years. He described this trend as the “Uberization of crime.”
Earlier this month, Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, who is currently under investigation in France, accused Le Monde of conducting a smear campaign against Telegram. He stated the publication had printed 40 critical articles about Telegram in the seven weeks following his arrest at a Paris airport in August 2024.
Durov was arrested and charged as an accomplice in crimes supposedly carried out by Telegram users, which included extremism and child abuse. He was later released on bail.
The Russian-born entrepreneur claimed that Le Monde often did not seek comment from Telegram or disregarded corrections provided by the platform. He alleged that the newspaper was attempting to create a negative image of Telegram and called the accusations against him “absurd.”
Telegram released a statement asserting its compliance with EU regulations and stated that it was unreasonable to hold the platform or its founder liable for user abuse.
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