French police launch search at Jeffrey Epstein's Paris flat

French investigators have searched the Paris apartment of disgraced US financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the prosecutor's office said Tuesday.

Also searched were the offices of Karin Models, an agency founded by Jean-Luc Brunel, in a rape and sexual abuse probe opened by French investigators alongside the ongoing US-based investigation into sex trafficking allegations against the financier.

French police appealed earlier this month for victims and witnesses to come forward as part of the probe into Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sexual exploitation of women and girls, saying they have already interviewed three people who identified themselves as his victims.

The police appeal, published Wednesday on Twitter, provided both a phone number and an interior ministry email address. It said police specialists have been mobilised for the investigation.

The Paris prosecutor's office said three victims who have already come forward were interviewed by investigators in August and earlier this month, the last as recently as Monday.

The French probe was opened on August 23 and is investigating the alleged rape of minors and other possible charges linked to Epstein, who is believed to have killed himself in jail last month.

(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)