Mohamed Al-Fayed abuse probe: UK police question two

London's Metropolitan Police said Friday it had questioned two people suspected of helping late Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of employees and subjecting them to gynaecological examinations.

Police said one man in his 80s and one woman in her 80s were interviewed under caution between Monday and Wednesday on suspicion of aiding and abetting rape and sexual assault, and assisting the commission of sexual offences.

A letter to survivors of Fayed's alleged abuse, seen by AFP, said the two were questioned "following reports that they had carried out medical examinations to aid an offender".

Police said 157 victims have reported allegations of sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking in relation to Fayed, who died in 2023 aged 94.

Former Harrods and other employees have alleged they were subjected to gynaecological examinations and blood tests for sexually transmitted infections, with the results shared with Fayed. They allege this was part of a repeated pattern in which women were selected for jobs, often as assistants and on the shop floor of the luxury department store.

In a probe into people suspected of enabling Fayed, the Metropolitan Police had previously questioned four people 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.

"Today's update is another important step in this complex and far-reaching investigation," Metropolitan Police Commander Andy Day said.

Separately, a serving Metropolitan Police officer and four former officers are being investigated by Britain's police watchdog over their handling of sexual abuse allegations made against Fayed between 2008 and 2013.

Harrods said in May that more than 75 survivors had been paid full compensation for sexual abuse by their former boss, with nearly 200 other claims still being processed.

Fayed bought Harrods in 1985 after acquiring the Ritz hotel in Paris. Multiple complaints were made against him before his death, but none led to prosecution. His son Dodi was killed in a 1997 Paris car crash alongside Princess Diana.