According to the Paris Prosecutors Office on LinkedIn, the raid took place yesterday as part of an investigation that was launched in January 2025, and reports received the same month.
“A search is being carried out today in the French premises of Platform X, as part of the investigation opened in January 2025 by the cybercrime section of the Paris prosecutor's office, with the Unité nationale cyber de la Gendarmerie nationale • UNCyber and in the presence of Europol,” the office wrote.
The investigation was launched following allegations of fraudulent data extraction of an automated data-processing system “by an organised group.”
The cybercrime unit of French prosecutors added that the investigation has been expanded to include other allegations including privacy violations, Holocaust denial and the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), things that X’s Grok has been publicly ridiculed for.
The office also said that it had sent voluntary summons to both Elon Musk and Linda Yaccarino, the former CEO of X.
“Employees of Platform X were also summoned during the week of April 20-24, 2026, to be heard as witnesses,” the release reads, translated from French.
“The voluntary interviews of the managers are intended to allow them to explain their position on the events and, if applicable, the compliance measures they plan to implement.
“The conduct of this investigation is currently part of a constructive approach, with the objective of ultimately ensuring the compliance of the X platform with French law, insofar as it operates on national territory.”
In response to the raid, X called the investigation “politicised.”
“We are disappointed by this development, but we are not surprised. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s office widely publicized the raid—making clear that today’s action was an abusive act of law enforcement theater designed to achieve illegitimate political objectives rather than advance legitimate law enforcement goals rooted in the fair and impartial administration of justice.
“The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office is plainly attempting to exert pressure on X’s senior management in the United States by targeting our French entity and employees, who are not the focus of this investigation. The Prosecutor’s Office has ignored the established procedural mechanisms to obtain evidence in compliance with international treaties and X’s rights to defend itself. These procedural mechanisms are well known and used on a daily basis by judicial authorities around the world.
“The allegations underlying today’s raid are baseless and X categorically denies any wrongdoing. Today’s staged raid reinforces our conviction that this investigation distorts French law, circumvents due process, and endangers free speech. X is committed to defending its fundamental rights and the rights of its users. We will not be intimidated by the actions of French judicial authorities today.”
Daniel Croft