Police have questioned a man in his 60s over allegations of human trafficking and facilitating rape in connection with the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed. The suspect was interviewed under caution this month after 154 people came forward to report sexual abuse by Fayed, the Metropolitan police said.
The questioning follows the interviews of three women in their 40s, 50s and 60s between 25 February and 5 March on suspicion of aiding and abetting rape and sexual assault, assisting the commission of sexual offences, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation. No arrests have been made, and the investigation continues.
Scotland Yard previously stated it was investigating more than five people who may have facilitated Fayed’s alleged crimes. Detectives have identified several more suspects who will be questioned in the coming months over allegations that they may have facilitated or enabled abuse.
Fayed, who died in 2023 aged 94, is alleged to have used his wealth and power to attack scores of women over four decades, with his youngest victim aged 13. The Met said officers had taken accounts from accusers and other witnesses over the past 18 months, leading to the inclusion of alleged human trafficking in the investigation.
The alleged crimes span between 1977 and 2014, with about 400 offences possibly committed. Fayed also allegedly targeted employees at the Ritz hotel in Paris, which he bought in 1979, and French authorities have reportedly been investigating a trafficking allegation involving an assistant there.
Before his death, 21 allegations about Fayed were made to police but he evaded justice. The Met has examined more than 50,000 pages of evidence, including victim statements, and retrieved significant material from previous reports stored in their archives.
