Police Search Paris Ritz in Investigation Linked to Mohamed Al Fayed
French and British police searched the Hôtel Ritz Paris in mid-October 2026, arresting several people and seizing digital devices. Hello! Magazine reported the searches on 11 November 2026. They form part of an ongoing investigation into rape and human trafficking allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed, who died in August 2023.
The raids also covered two other properties. One was Villa Sainte-Thérèse in Saint-Tropez, a resort on the French Riviera. The other was Villa Windsor in Paris's 16th arrondissement, one of the city's administrative districts. British investigators were present during the searches. Multiple suspects were taken into custody.
French prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation, which is the early stage in which investigators gather evidence before any decision on charges. The inquiry covers suspected human trafficking carried out by an organised gang, aggravated pimping (profiting from prostitution in aggravated circumstances) by an organised gang, and rape allegedly linked to Mohamed Al Fayed. These are allegations, and no finding has been made on them.
Al Fayed bought the Hôtel Ritz Paris in 1979 for roughly $30 million. He owned it until his death. Allegations of rape and sexual abuse against him first emerged in a 2024 BBC documentary.
The hotel is also tied to Princess Diana. She visited the Ritz hours before her death in Paris in 1997. Earlier that day she had left the hotel with Dodi Al Fayed, Mohamed's son, bound for his apartment near the Champs-Élysées, the avenue in central Paris.
For many readers, the Ritz will be linked first with Diana's last day. The new searches bring the hotel back into the news for a different reason. The investigation is at a preliminary stage, and the allegations against Al Fayed have not been tested in court.
