French police have searched the Ritz Paris and two other properties linked to the late businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, and detained several people for questioning, as part of an investigation into alleged human trafficking and sexual abuse.

The searches took place in mid-October at the Ritz hotel in Paris, the Villa Windsor in Paris and the Villa Sainte-Thérèse in Saint-Tropez, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday, 10 November. Officers seized digital material, including computers and phones, which is now being analysed.

Five people detained, then released

Several people were temporarily placed in police custody after questioning, and have since been released pending further investigation. The Times reported that at least five people were detained.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said several victims had been interviewed by French investigators and that the investigation was being conducted in coordination with British authorities. Officers from London’s Metropolitan Police were present during the searches.

Trafficking and rape allegations under investigation

The preliminary investigation, opened in the summer of 2025, concerns allegations of rape, aggravated human trafficking committed by an organised crime group, and aggravated pimping committed by an organised crime group. Prosecutors are seeking to establish whether women were recruited and abused in France by a network operating for Fayed and his brother Salah.

Mohamed Al Fayed, who owned Harrods and the Ritz Paris, died in 2023 aged 94. He was never charged over the allegations against him, which became widely known after a BBC investigation in September 2024. His brother Salah died in 2010 and was also never charged.

More than 150 reports to UK police

In Britain, the Metropolitan Police taskforce Operation Cornpoppy is carrying out its own investigation into allegations against Fayed and people suspected of enabling his offending. At least 157 people have reported allegations relating to the Fayed brothers directly to the force, while more than 400 alleged victims or witnesses have come forward to lawyers.

The Justice for Fayed and Harrods Survivors group welcomed what it called “significant developments” and the cooperation between the Met and French authorities. The investigation remains ongoing, and no charges have been announced in either country.