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Kim Kardashian Tied Up, Robbed in Paris Apartment

Kim Kardashian was robbed inside her Paris luxury apartment-hotel residence at 2:30 am. Apparently, the concierge, at gunpoint, let the robbers into Kardashian's unit.

Hours later the French Interior Ministry said five men threatened a concierge with a weapon, handcuffed him and forced him to open the door to Kim's apartment.

[More..]

Some of the robbers were dressed like police. Two entered the unit, got her out of bed, took her cell phone, tied her up, taped her mouth and put her in her bath tub. They spoke French. They then stole millions of dollars of jewelry and two cell phones (I assume the phones belonged to her and her assistant, who was there at the time, but I guess both could belong to her.) Her husband and children were not there. Kim was in Paris for Fashion Week. From Figaro:

]Mayor Anne Hildago ]said the assault is a "very rare act occurred in a private area" that "puts (was) in no case involved" security "the Parisian public space." PS mayor said it has "confidence in the police (...) to quickly identify and apprehend the perpetrators" of the aggression suffered by the American star of reality show "I want to tell him that it will always be welcome in Paris. "

So was it an inside job? It doesn't sound like it. Her bodyguard was with her sisters at a nightclub. The stylist in the apartment called him and he arrived two minutes after the robbers left. (How did the robbers not find her? There's no report of her being tied up and the Daily Mail has photos of her leaving Paris on the same plane as Kim and her bodygaurd. Kim said the bodyguard was not at fault.

The attack took place around 2 pm 30 am. Five armed men burst at 7 rue Tronchet, in a luxury residence of the eighth arrondissement of Paris, close to La Madeleine. Under threat of a weapon they handcuffed the night watchman before ordering her to lead and be open the bedroom door of the star. Three of malfeiteurs remained at the entrance of the building to keep watch. Kim Kardashian was threatened with a gun to her head. The star was then tied (hands and feet taped) and locked in the bathroom while the thugs hid two mobile phones and many jewels in a box. Télé also specifies a wallet 1000 dollars in cash were stolen. The value of jewelry is valued at least € 9 million, including a ring estimated at 4 million.

Reportedly, before taking flight, some by [motorcycle] bicycle, the perpetrators locked the concierge of the luxury residence in the stairwell. The man was handcuffed and feet bound. Surveillance cameras did not establish the direction of flight of the attackers.

Other stories say three of the five robbers stayed outside standing guard and only two went up to the apartment.

That sounds horrible, and the Mayor's comment seems insensitive. It reminds me of the Boulder Mayor's comment shortly after JonBenet Ramsey was killed, before anyone had the slightest clue what happened (and they still don't). She announced to the city on national television that it was safe, there was not attacker on the loose.

"People in Boulder have no need to fear there is someone wandering the streets of Boulder looking for someone to attack. Boulder is safe,'' she said. "

I'm hardly a Kardashian fan, having never seen their TV show, but I agree with James Corden:

People making jokes about @KimKardashian tonight would do well to remember that she's a mother,a daughter,a wife,a friend. Be nice or shut up.

One article I read said Kanye bought the apartment years ago, and they stayed there before their wedding. More photos than anyone has time to look at are here.

The jewelry is probably too famous to unload as is. What will the thieves do with it -- cut it up?

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  • Display: Sort:
    Maybe, just maybe... (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Mon Oct 03, 2016 at 09:52:33 PM EST
    Kim and the rest of her clan should stop putting every move they make on social media.

    Street Smarts 101 (5.00 / 3) (#6)
    by kdog on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 10:27:48 AM EST
    Never flash your roll.

    Parent
    My BIL... (none / 0) (#38)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 04:41:54 PM EST
    was reminded of that the hard way in Buenos Aires.  Thought he was OK to wear his Rolex because he was staying at a posh hotel in a seemingly "safe" part of town.  A couple of armed locals educated him.

    Parent
    Huh. (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 04:31:21 PM EST
    Us Weekly reports that in light of the robbery, Kim's been taking stock of how she comports herself on the internet and otherwise. "She realizes she was living in a bubble doing what she was doing. She loved flaunting her wealth and being so public," the source reportedly said. "She felt safe and never really thought about her vulnerability. Now she knows she was so naive. Everything has to change going forward."

    Taking responsibility for one's own safety - what a concept.  Or as kdog so eloquently puts it "don't show your roll".

    Parent

    Maybe you are right, MileHi, maybe if (3.50 / 2) (#7)
    by caseyOR on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 10:42:06 AM EST
    Kardashian was less public these criminals would not have been able to find her home, but that still does not excuse the robbery. This is victim shaming, plain and simple, and that is never a good thing.

    It is just a short hop from your remark to blaming rape victims because of their clothing or their drinking or that they are women who dared to go out for a little fun.

    Kardashian is not at fault because a gang of people decided to commit this violent crime against her. The people who robbed her are at fault. They chose to commit a crime. Nobody forced them to. Nobody held a gun to their heads.

    Parent

    Kim also "chooses" to act like (none / 0) (#28)
    by jondee on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 03:56:36 PM EST
    a narcissistic 21st century version of a decadent Roman senator's concubine in a world in which millions of children still die of malnutrition every day..

    I have to confess to having more sympathy for the robbers.

    Parent

    The robbers (none / 0) (#29)
    by nyjets on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 05:23:04 PM EST
    The robbers also threatened the concierge as well.
     Sorry, the robbers get no sympathy from me


    Parent
    Taking sensible precautions (none / 0) (#31)
    by TrevorBolder on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 08:01:13 PM EST
    This is victim shaming, plain and simple, and that is never a good thing.

    Only makes sense. You make it easier to become a victim when engaging in certain behaviors.

    Most travel agencies give advice to tourists for their own safety. You don't have to take them, but you also increase your risk of being a victim

    Parent

    "We can do the innuendo,
    We can dance and sing.
    When it's said and done,
    We haven't told you a thing.
    We all know that Crap is King.
    Give us dirty laundry!"

    - Don Henley, "Dirty Laundry" (1982)

    Because the Kardashian clan sans pere is famous simply for being well known, and that fame has further and long since rested almost entirely upon their own rather remarkable and relentless penchant for perpetual self-promotion, they've evolved into a subspecies of American neo-bourgeois culture whose primary purpose is purely ornamental in nature.

    Our own challenge, therefore, is to ensure that this family's transient frivolousness and our media's almost breathless fixation with their celebrity doesn't otherwise come to define and embody our country's own raison d'être in the 21st century.

    In that regard, we should be mindful of Lord Talleyrand's scathing personal opinion of France's ruling House of Bourbon, once they were restored to the throne upon the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, when he remarked cuttingly, "They had learned nothing, and had forgotten nothing."

    Like you, I'm obviously not one of their fans. ;-D

    Parent

    The Seven Deadly Sins (none / 0) (#17)
    by Mr Natural on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 01:08:36 PM EST
    celebrated like virtues.

    Parent
    ...all the pretty people (none / 0) (#23)
    by jondee on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 01:58:25 PM EST
    they're all drinking, thinking that they've
    got it made..
    exchanging all precious gifts..
    but you better take your diamond ring, you
    better pawn it babe..

    Parent
    "When television is bad, (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by Mr Natural on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 01:31:43 PM EST
    nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland."
    - Newton Minow

    I will always (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by KeysDan on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 02:11:08 PM EST
    remember where I was the night Kim was robbed.

    See, now that's a funny! (none / 0) (#27)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 02:34:55 PM EST
    Omg, that is horrible. (none / 0) (#1)
    by ruffian on Mon Oct 03, 2016 at 08:40:47 PM EST
    Very scary for her, certainly glad it was not even worse.

    One really good picture in there... (none / 0) (#2)
    by ruffian on Mon Oct 03, 2016 at 08:47:55 PM EST
    Kendall Jenner absolutely running to see her sister in super high spike heals. Picture catches both feet off the ground. I am truly impressed, no snark here at all. That is a good sister.

    I'll agree (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by CoralGables on Mon Oct 03, 2016 at 09:34:10 PM EST
    It's impressive running

    Parent
    She ran on my track team, back in the day. (5.00 / 2) (#10)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 11:11:43 AM EST
    So I take full credit.

    Ha!

    Parent

    Ha! Did you make her train in spiky heels? (none / 0) (#12)
    by ruffian on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 11:26:23 AM EST
    Well done sir!

    Parent
    Bruce was the famous one back then.

    Parent
    And now, (5.00 / 2) (#33)
    by Mr Natural on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 06:35:29 AM EST
    he's the one running in heels.

    Parent
    ouch! (none / 0) (#39)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 06:16:57 PM EST
    One account stated the assistant was on (none / 0) (#5)
    by oculus on Mon Oct 03, 2016 at 11:04:50 PM EST
    a lower floor, heard a disturbance above, and locked herself in a bathroom. (Query:  why did I read that?)

    human interest? (none / 0) (#9)
    by ruffian on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 11:06:30 AM EST
    They're human? (none / 0) (#13)
    by kdog on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 11:31:18 AM EST
    I thought they were marketing androids.

    But yes to Casey, nobody deserves to get robbed at gunpoint.  Robbed maybe, but not at gunpoint or violently...cat burglars can have style, mugging is just thuggish;)

    Parent

    Robbery is wrong (none / 0) (#14)
    by nyjets on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 11:37:37 AM EST
    no one deserves to be robbed. it is always wrong

    Parent
    Not a fan of the Legend of Robin Hood... (none / 0) (#15)
    by kdog on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 11:46:29 AM EST
    I guess, more of a Sheriff of Nottingham guy?

    Parent
    See also, Woody Guthrie (5.00 / 2) (#24)
    by Peter G on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 01:59:39 PM EST
    on Pretty Boy Floyd.
    Yes, as through this world I've wandered
    I've seen lots of funny men;
    Some will rob you with a six-gun,
    And some with a fountain pen.

    And as through your life you travel,
    Yes, as through your life you roam,
    You won't never see an outlaw
    Drive a family from their home.


    Or better yet, just listen.

    Parent
    I did... (none / 0) (#30)
    by kdog on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 06:16:59 PM EST
    and I thank you.

    Election Election
    Twenty Sixteen.
    Oh where art thou Guthrie
    And you're fascist killin' machine.

    Our bank robbin' days are over
    Hoover saw to that.
    I best put on 200 pounds
    And get to learnin' how to hack.

    Parent

    I'm not buying the "no outlaw ever" meme (none / 0) (#34)
    by Mr Natural on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 06:59:31 AM EST
    Here's Joni Mitchell, "Raised on Robbery"

    Parent
    robbery is robbery (none / 0) (#18)
    by nyjets on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 01:15:37 PM EST
    Robbery is robbery
    it is always wrong.
    And robin hood is a work of fiction. If there was a robin hood, he most likely robbed and killed the rich and kept everything for himself.
    And no, i did prefer robin hood in the fictional story.


    Parent
    Robin to the greenwood has gone.. (none / 0) (#26)
    by jondee on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 02:26:42 PM EST
    considering that you could be branded or have a hand chopped off for poaching a nobleman's deer, it's no wonder if the attitude of the common people in the late Middle Ages could be a little rancorous at times..

    Parent
    What's always wrong is (none / 0) (#35)
    by Mr Natural on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 07:16:11 AM EST
    assertions like "robbery is always wrong."

    The site of the Kardassian Caper, France, was built on a foundation of wholesale robbery.  So was the country you're posting from.

    Parent

    and it was wrong (none / 0) (#36)
    by nyjets on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 01:40:19 PM EST
    What was done to the native Americans was completely wrong, as was the robbery of the land.
    We owe them a debt. how we pay that debt is anyone guess.
    so yes robbery is always wrong


    Parent
    Because you are my investigative friend (none / 0) (#40)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Oct 08, 2016 at 11:12:35 AM EST
    You know there's always more to this story than the headline. And....I suspect you ponder, "Who had means? Who had motive?"

    Parent
    Like you, Jeralyn, I'm not a fan. (none / 0) (#11)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 11:14:18 AM EST
    But nobody deserves what happened here. The fact that the Kardashians are wealthy celebrities is certainly no invitation for others to assault them physically and rob them at gunpoint.

    That said, perhaps this terrible experience will cause members of the family to rethink their own conspicuous presence in the public eye, and become more discriminating when broadcasting their whereabouts and activities in the future. It appears that someone in Paris saw them as a relatively easy mark, and cased them accordingly.

    Aloha.

    Sounds like the Ks in the blackened-windowed (none / 0) (#16)
    by oculus on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 01:04:38 PM EST
    SUV were followed home.  The V.I.P. Residences must have had no security at the lobby entrance.

    Or bribe-able security (5.00 / 2) (#19)
    by ruffian on Tue Oct 04, 2016 at 01:22:21 PM EST
    Justice Steven Breyer mentions "robbery" (none / 0) (#32)
    by Mr Natural on Thu Oct 06, 2016 at 06:00:03 AM EST
    Breyer was questioning an attorney whose argument essentially was that his client didn't commit bank fraud because the bank where he took money from another person's account was insured, and therefore didn't actually lose money.

    Breyer made an analogy between the case at hand and the most famous crime on the planet (at least for the moment): "Even Kardashian's thief, if there is one, believes that all that jewelry is insured," Breyer posited.