French investigators are raiding Google's Paris headquarters as part of a probe over tax payments, a source close to the finance ministry told Reuters on Tuesday.
Investigators have been probing Google's offices in central Paris since 5 a.m. local time, said the source, who declined to be named. France's Le Parisien newspaper confirmed the raid, in the ninth arrondissement near the Saint-Lazare train station.
The Paris daily paper also went on to say that more than 100 French officials were involved in the "top secret" raid, including police and financial prosecutors.
A spokesman for Google was not immediately available for comment.
France is seeking 1.6 billion euros ($1.79 billion) in back taxes from the Internet giant, criticized for its use of aggressive tax optimization techniques, another source at the finance ministry had said in February.
