French police raid Ritz hotel in Mohamed Al Fayed sexual abuse investigation

Key Points:

• French police conducted raids on three properties linked to Mohamed Al Fayed, including the Ritz hotel in Paris, as part of an investigation into sexual abuse, human trafficking, and organized crime allegations.
• Several individuals were arrested and questioned last month but later released, while alleged victims were interviewed by the Paris prosecutor’s organized crime division.
• The searches took place in mid-October at the Ritz, Villa Sainte-Thérèse in Saint-Tropez, and Villa Windsor in Paris, with British Metropolitan police officers present during the coordinated operation.
• Survivor campaign groups have called for similar thorough investigations and searches of Fayed’s properties in the UK, urging the Metropolitan police and National Crime Agency to intensify their efforts.
• Over 500 women have come forward alleging abuse linked to Fayed’s properties, with the Metropolitan police currently investigating 169 victims who have directly contacted them.