Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has responded to Apple’s brief takedown of the Telegram app, alleging that a “takedown extortionist” had planted illegal content in a public chat

Telegram has been mired in other recent controversies including allegations by Russia of aiding terrorism and criticism by Australia over its handling of violent content.

Telegram appears to have been removed from the App Store in multiple countries, although the reason for its apparent removal remains unclear.

Messaging app was later restored to App Store after banning user