French prosecutors to probe Imane Khelif harassment complaint which names Elon Musk, Donald Trump and JK Rowling

French prosecutors have opened an investigation into an online harassment complaint made by Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif after a torrent of criticism and claims about her sex during the Summer Games.

The athlete’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi, filed a legal complaint - Elon Musk, Donald Trump and JK Rowling - that names with a special unit in the Paris prosecutor’s office that combats online hate speech last Friday.

Boudi said the boxer was targeted by a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign” as she won gold in the women’s welterweight division, becoming a hero in her native Algeria and bringing global attention to women’s boxing.

The prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday that they had received the complaint and their Office for the Fight against Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crime have opened an investigation on charges of “cyber harassment based on gender, public insults based on gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insults on the basis of origin”.

Khelif was thrust into a worldwide clash over gender identity and regulation in sports after her first fight in Paris, when Italian opponent Angela Carini pulled out just seconds into the match, citing pain from opening punches.

Claims that Khelif was transgender or a man erupted online. The International Olympic Committee defended her and denounced those they said were peddling misinformation. Khelif said that the spread of misconceptions about her “harms human dignity”.

Trump posted he would “keep men out of women’s sport”, while Rowling posted “explain why you’re OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment”.

Musk re-shared and commented “absolutely” to a post by swimmer Riley Gaines’ that read “men don’t belong in women’s sports”.

Khelif’s legal complaint was filed against ‘X,’ instead of a specific perpetrator, a common formulation under French law that leaves it up to investigators to determine which person or organisation may have been at fault.

The Paris prosecutor’s office did not name specific suspects.

The development came after Khelif returned to Algeria, where she met President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Wednesday.

Mustapha Bensaou, Khelif’s former coach, said the boxer’s complaint in France was initiated by the Algerian authorities and should “serve as a lesson in defending the rights and honour (of athletes) in Algeria and around the world.

“All those involved will be prosecuted for violating Imane’s dignity and honour,” Bensaou said in an interview with The Associated Press. He added: “The attacks on Imane were designed to break her and undermine her morale. Thank God, she triumphed.”