Monday, 3 October 2016

Paris gunmen rob Kim Kardashian of millions in jewelry

Kim Kardashian West was unharmed after being robbed at gunpoint of more than $10 million worth of jewelry inside a private Paris residence Sunday night, police officials said.

A spokeswoman for Kardashian West said the reality TV star, who was in Paris attending fashion week shows, was "badly shaken but physically unharmed" after masked men dressed as police officers also tied her up in the flat's bathroom before fleeing the scene.

A Paris police official said five assailants, who were still at large, stole a jewelry box containing valuables worth 6 million euros ($6.7 million) as well as a ring worth 4 million euros.

In a message to The Associated Press, the Paris prosecutors' office said that only two of the five suspects forced their way into the apartment, located in the chic eighth district of the French capital.

With France under a state of emergency following terror attacks that left more than 200 people dead in the last 20 months, news of the robbery immediately sparked criticism from political opponents to the Socialist government.

Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, a right-wing member of Paris council and a potential candidate in next year's presidential election, said the robbery was proof that "there is a general emergency on security" in the French capital.

"Regardless of all the very expensive advertising we do to promote 'I Love Paris,' tourism and the image of Paris, all these ads have been brutally canceled by the Kim Kardashian case," Kosciusko-Morizet told Europe 1 radio.

Two police officials said the robbers tied up Kardashian West and locked her in the bathroom before escaping on bikes. They were not authorized to be publicly named speaking about ongoing investigations.

Kanye West was performing at the Meadows Music and Arts Festival in New York at the time. He abruptly ended his set Sunday night after telling his fans had a family emergency.

"I'm sorry, family emergency I have to stop the show," West told the audience.

Kardashian West was also ambushed last week by a serial celebrity accoster who attempted to assault her as she was entering a restaurant. She was also attacked outside of a Paris fashion week show in 2014. She wasn't hurt in either incident.

Paris has been a special place for Kardashian West and her husband, who spent the weekend there before marrying in Florence in May of 2014.

Kardashian West was staying in a residence near Paris' Madeleine church. Police said the thieves entered the building after the concierge let them in. Handcuffed and at gunpoint, he then led them to the starlet's flat.

It's unclear whether the couple's two children, 3-year-old daughter North and 10-month-old son Saint, were with Kardashian West when the robbery happened. Police said the actress' family was placed under police protection at the George V hotel after the incident.

AP

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