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Elon Musk summoned by French prosecutors amid ongoing X probe

April 20, 2026 International Source: BBC World

Elon Musk summoned by French prosecutors amid ongoing X probe

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Whether the tech billionaire will attend the interview requested by Paris prosecutors remains to be seen. Elon Musk summoned by French prosecutors amid ongoing X probe Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Elon Musk, wearing a black suit, white shirt and dotted tie, looks away from the camera as he watches President Donald Trump speak at an event in Washington DC in November Elon Musk has been summoned to a voluntary interview by French authorities on Monday as they continue to probe his platform X, but whether the tech billionaire will turn up remains to be seen. The company's offices were raided by the Paris prosecutor's cyber-crime unit in February over suspected criminal offences related to content on the platform. First opened in 2025, the investigation was expanded to encompass concerns raised over whether X's controversial chatbot Grok was used to create non-consensual sexual deepfake imagery. When asked for comment, X pointed the BBC to a previous post by Musk in which he labelled the probe a "political attack". When asked for comment, X pointed the BBC to by Musk in which he labelled the probe a "political attack". Musk and Linda Yaccarino, former head of X, have been summoned to the Paris Court of Justice The Paris Court of Justice, a tall building fronted by steel and glass, seen from street level against a clear blue sky It comes after the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the US Justice Department told French authorities in a letter it would not assist in their investigation of X. that the US Justice Department told French authorities in a letter it would not assist in their investigation of X. The Department also accused French authorities of misusing the US justice system, the Journal reported. Musk, however, responded to a post about the report on X, writing "indeed, this needs to stop". Musk, however, responded to a post about the report on X, If the tech billionaire does not attend the interview in Paris on Monday - a date set by prosecutors in February - it would not be the first time he has snubbed authorities. Musk did not show up to a court-ordered appearance in Los Angeles in September 2024, as part of an investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into his Twitter takeover. Musk did not show up to a court-ordered appearance in Los Angeles in September 2024, as part of an investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into his Twitter takeover The BBC has approached the Paris prosecutor's office and the US Justice Department for comment. French prosecutors first began investigating his platform in January 2025 after receiving reports highlighting concerns about its recommended content. The probe was subsequently widened over concerns about content generated by Grok, including its ability to edit images of women, and reportedly some children, shared on X to create non-consensual sexual deepfakes. It prompted a slew of regulatory and legal action against X and its parent company xAI in the UK, EU and around the world. It prompted a slew of regulatory and legal action against X and its parent company xAI in the Prosecutors in Paris said in February they were investigating X over a range of suspected offences. These included complicity in possession or organised distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), infringement of people's image rights with sexual deepfakes and suspected fraudulent data extraction by an organised group. X has previously denied any wrongdoing and described the allegations as "baseless". In a statement at the time the company said: "Today's staged raid reinforces our conviction that this investigation distorts French law, circumvents due process, and endangers free speech. the company said: "Today's staged raid reinforces our conviction that this investigation distorts French law, circumvents due process, and endangers free speech. "X it is committed to defending its fundamental rights and the rights of its users." Linda Yaccarino, X's former chief executive, was also summoned to a voluntary interview in Paris alongside Musk in April - having been in her role during the period prosecutors said suspected offences occurred. She echoed Musk's criticism of the raid and initial summons, previously accusing French prosecutors of carrying out "a political vendetta against Americans" in a post on X. She echoed Musk's criticism of the raid and initial summons, previously accusing French prosecutors of carrying out "a political vendetta against Americans" X logo displayed on a smartphone lying on a laptop keyboard X offices raided in France as UK opens fresh investigation into Grok A phone with a black background and the white Grok logo on it. It is against a bright green background. EU investigates Elon Musk's X over Grok AI sexual deepfakes A green promotional banner with black squares and rectangles forming pixels, moving in from the right. The text says: “Tech Decoded: The world’s biggest tech news in your inbox every Monday.” Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here. to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Electric car company Tesla submits plans to open a new showroom and bodyshop in Reading. Amazon wants to get thousands more satellites into orbit to offer internet and mobile services. The company’s public stock debut is set to be one of the most valuable in history, and could make Musk the world's first trillionaire. It comes as the government continues to consult on whether to ban under-16s from social media in the UK. The changes will give government more power over news-related posts shared by podcasters and influencers. The influencer is to feature in a campaign helping children identify misinformation and AI-generated content. 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