French police arrest suspects at Ritz Paris in Al Fayed abuse investigation
French officers searched three properties in mid-October, including the Ritz hotel in Paris, making several arrests. It marks the first arrests linked to abuse allegations against the late Mohamed Al Fayed.
Arrests made in France over Al Fayed abuse and trafficking inquiry
French police have detained several suspects following searches of three properties linked to the late Mohamed Al Fayed, BBC News reports — the first arrests to be made in connection with allegations of abuse and trafficking against the former Harrods and Ritz Paris owner.
The searches took place on 13 and 14 October, according to a confidential letter sent by the Metropolitan Police to survivors. Officers from the Met were present, in what is understood to have been a joint British-French operation.
The three locations targeted were the Ritz hotel in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, the Villa Sainte-Thérèse in Saint-Tropez — a former property of Al Fayed — and the Villa Windsor in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.
French authorities, in a statement shared by the Met with victims, said the suspects were taken into police custody and subsequently released following interviews, specifically to allow for the analysis of digital material seized during the operations. "The investigations are continuing under the direction of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office," the statement read.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed that its officers travelled to France in October and were present throughout the operation.
Al Fayed faced accusations of sexual assault from more than 20 women in a BBC documentary and podcast broadcast in September 2024. One woman said she had been sexually assaulted by him at the Ritz hotel in Paris; another said she had been raped at the Villa Windsor. Since those allegations were made public, more than 400 alleged victims or witnesses have come forward to lawyers.
The Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors group welcomed what it described as "significant developments" and called for all properties formerly owned by Al Fayed to be investigated with equal thoroughness. "We hope these developments represent meaningful progress towards identifying and holding to account all those who facilitated, concealed or assisted his offending, wherever they operated," the group said.
The survivor advocacy group No One Above urged British authorities to match the scale of the French response. "France is treating this as organised human trafficking, led by specialists, with properties searched and evidence seized. That is what a serious investigation into a network looks like," the group said, adding that survivors were "still waiting for the same from the Met" two years on. The group called on the National Crime Agency to take over the investigation.
The Ritz hotel in Paris remains in the ownership of the Al Fayed family.
Source: BBC News