French Police Arrest Suspects In Mohamed Al Fayed Probe

French police have made arrests in the investigation into alleged abuse and trafficking by the late Mohamed Al Fayed, after searching three properties — including the Ritz hotel in Paris — in mid-October, the Paris prosecutor's office told the BBC.

It is the first time anyone has been arrested in connection with the allegations against the former Harrods and Ritz Paris owner, who died in 2023 at age 94. More than 20 women accused him of sexual assault in a BBC documentary and podcast broadcast in September 2024, and the number of people who say they were affected has grown sharply since.

When did the searches happen?

The searches took place on October 13 and 14, 2026, according to a statement from French authorities shared with victims by London's Metropolitan Police in a confidential letter. The Met confirmed to the BBC that its officers traveled to France and were present during the operation, which it described as conducted "in the presence of British investigators."

The Paris prosecutor's office told the BBC that several individuals were taken into custody for questioning after the searches and were later released. French authorities, in the statement relayed by the Met, said the custody measures were "lifted following their interviews, specifically for the purpose of analyzing digital material seized during the search operations." That digital material is still being examined, the prosecutor's office said, and the investigation remains ongoing.

What are the arrests connected to?

The prosecutor's office said the searches were part of a preliminary investigation into "allegations of human trafficking committed by an organized group, aggravated pimping committed by an organized group, and rape." French investigators also interviewed several victims of Al Fayed as part of that process, the office said.

The case is being run jointly across two jurisdictions. The statement from French authorities, as shared by the Met, said the probe is being "conducted in liaison with the British authorities" and remains "under the direction of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office."

Which properties were searched?

Three locations were searched, according to the statement French authorities gave the Met: the Hotel Ritz in Paris's 1st arrondissement, the Villa Sainte-Thérèse in Saint-Tropez — a former Al Fayed property — and the Villa Windsor in Paris's 16th arrondissement.

Al Fayed bought the Ritz Paris in 1979, and the hotel remains in the ownership of the Al Fayed family, the BBC reported. One woman featured in the 2024 BBC documentary said she was sexually assaulted by Al Fayed at the Ritz. The Villa Windsor, a holiday home for the Al Fayed family, previously belonged to King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson following his abdication. Another woman in the documentary said she was raped by Al Fayed at that residence.

How many people have come forward with allegations?

The scale of the claims against Al Fayed has expanded well beyond the women featured in the original 2024 broadcast. The BBC reported that more than 400 alleged victims or witnesses have come forward to lawyers since the documentary and podcast aired. A woman also told BBC Scotland she was trafficked, drugged and sexually abused, according to the BBC's reporting — one strand among the hundreds of accounts that have surfaced in the past two years.

What happens next in the investigation?

French authorities told the Met that the inquiry is continuing under the Paris prosecutor's direction, with the seized digital material still under analysis. No charges were announced in the material reviewed, and the prosecutor's office has not said how many people were detained or released, or whether further arrests are expected. The joint British-French structure of the case — British officers present for a French-led search, French investigators interviewing victims in liaison with London — suggests any next steps, including possible charges, would likely be announced through the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office rather than the Met.

For readers following the case, the original BBC account, including the full statement relayed to victims, is available at bbc.co.uk.

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