French police arrests man in connection with Kim Kardashian's 2016 Paris robbery
Almost two years after the 2016 Paris incident that had robbers holding Kim Kardashian hostage at gunpoint, a man has been arrested by the French police. The sources involved in the investigation told AFP that the man was arrested on the Cote d'Azur (The French Riviera) and would be brought before a magistrate to face possible charges.
Ten people have already been arrested over the crime, which took place on October 2, 2016, at a luxury residence in France, where the reality star was staying during the Paris Fashion Week. It is reportedly the biggest robbery of an individual in France in the last two decades.
According to reports, five men tied her up, gagged her and locked her in a bathroom, before making off with nine million Euros ($10.6 million) in jewels, including her four-million-Euro diamond engagement ring.
Kim Kardashian participates in the phone bank onstage during 'One Voice: Somos Live! A Concert For Disaster Relief' at the Universal Studios Lot on October 14, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/One Voice: Somos Live!/Getty Images)
The only item to be recovered from the heist is a diamond-encrusted cross worth 30,000 Euros, which was dropped by one of the robbers who was fleeing the scene of crime on a bicycle. It was found by a passer-by in a street a few hours later.
According to the suspected ringleader Aomar Ait Khedache, the robbers had tried to sell the 18.88-carat ring, which Kim had showed off on Instagram. The 60-year-old also revealed that he found it hard to find a buyer for it.
It was "too recognizable," said Aomar, adding that he had given it to an unidentified third party. The police believe part of the loot was sold in Belgium.
Kim had recalled the traumatic experience in an intense episode of 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians.' She said, "I saw two guys holding another guy down ... The concierge [was] handcuffed. He ended up being the interpreter," since the robbers didn't speak English and she didn't speak French.
"They threw me on the bed, and I'm like, 'This is it,'" she continued, adding that she was scared for her life and that of her children. "Are they going to kill us? ... Tell them I have babies," she said she told the concierge.
With AFP inputs