The ring that Kim Kardashian had stolen -
Lionel Cironneau / AP / SIPA
On October 2, 2016, Kim Kardashian was held up in the middle of the night in a Parisian hotel.
Nearly nine million euros of jewelry was stolen from him.
The five robbers, "old-fashioned bandits", were arrested a few weeks later.
The prosecution requested the seats for 12 people, including Yunice Abbas who has just released the book
I kidnapped Kim Kardashian
.
On the night of October 2, 2016, five robbers disguised as police officers entered an ultra-select hotel close to Place de la Madeleine, in Paris.
Inside: a single customer, Kim Kardashian.
The thieves steal her jewelry before fleeing by bike.
A few weeks later, the investigators will proceed to a wave of arrests.
In June, the prosecution called for the assizes against 12 people.
Among them, Yunice Abbas, 67 years old.
In a book,
I kidnapped Kim Kardashian *
, published Thursday, he gives his version of the facts.
Why did you decide to write a book about the Kim Kardashian robbery when your trial has not yet taken place?
It comes from frustration.
In this matter a lot of enormity has been said in the media.
When some journalists claim that it was the brooch that fell from my bag that allowed it to be traced back to us, it is totally false.
Not only did I have gloves, but above all I never touched her.
I wanted to give my side of the story, especially before the trial.
Normally jurors only have to decide based on what they hear in court, but so much nonsense was said, I wanted my voice to be heard too.
How did you arrive on this "blow"? Why choose to rob one of the most famous stars on the planet?
To tell the truth, I did not know Mrs. Kardashian at all, her name vaguely told me something, nothing more.
It was a long-time friend, "the Pince", whom I trusted completely, who offered to make me some money.
He had done all the scouting, assembled the team.
Me, I did not know the others, but little by little the idea gained ground.
I agreed a week or two before the robbery but until the last moment it was uncertain, all the lights had to be green to go.
You did not expect such a booty ...
When we decide to do something bad, we ensure a minimum of income.
Taking such risks must be worth it.
So we expected to steal his famous engagement ring at four million euros.
We had a bonus, so much the better!
[the total amount of the booty is estimated at nine million euros because the star was notably in possession of jewelry loaned by jewelers during fashion week].
Other than the brooch you lost when you fell on your bike, these jewels have never been found. Where are they ?
[
Laughs
] At specialists!
They passed through Antwerp [in Belgium], which is a hub for reprocessing diamonds.
You should know that jewelers' windows work in both directions: they sell to the rich, buy back from thieves and resell to the rich!
[The alleged leader of the group, Aomar Aït Khedache, told investigators that he entrusted the diamond to a person whose identity he did not reveal and had melted the gold jewelry.]
On the day of the robbery, despite a well-established plan, all did not go as planned. In your book, you admit errors but refuse the term "nickel-plated feet" which certain media have given you…
.
Despite the contingencies, the case is successful: we recovered the ring and even other jewelry without hurting anyone.
But when you mount this kind of thing, there is the theory, but the practice is something else.
Everything had been set up: an internal source had described the place to us, we knew that the cameras were not working, that the police regularly raided for cocaine, hence the idea of disguising themselves as a police officer to be opened. door… But no matter how hard we try to control as many factors as possible, we cannot predict everything.
You always have to keep cool to improvise!
When my bike tire bursts and I fall, I can't predict it.
I was nevertheless able to pick up the jewels, even if I forgot one, and escape quietly.
How do you explain then that you were arrested a few months after the robbery?
The big bullshit is the DNA they found at the scene.
But we made other mistakes, including waiting to resell the merchandise.
We should have done this the next day or within 48 hours, instead of hoping the storm would pass.
All wiretapping comes from the fact that the sharing was not done immediately.
Me, I also made the mistake of participating in a meeting with the rest of the team in a bar.
My accomplices were already identified and known.
At the time, the investigators had suspicions about me, I was assimilated to the group at that time.
In your book, do you contrast the old-fashioned bandits a lot with those of the new generation?
There was a certain ethic that no longer exists.
We were attacking property, not people.
If this robbery had been carried out by young people, it could have gone wrong: there could have been violence to obtain, for example, the opening of safes.
Kim Kardashian says she was threatened with a weapon ...
Originally, it was agreed that there was no weapon.
Me, I did not see her since I was in the bottom team which supervised the entrance and the guard.
However, I do not deny the violence she felt.
Entering her room to rob her is obviously violent.
But there was no blow: her secretary was hidden, the concierge, I gave her a judo shot, she let it go ...
In the book, you give a lot of details. Aren't you afraid to sound like a "balance"?
I am not saying anything that is not on file.
And I'm only talking about the "Gripper" who recognized the facts.
I have not betrayed any secrets.
You have spent twenty years in prison in your life but you say that this blow is the last. What changed ?
We were called the grandpa robbers, it's true.
I became aware of my age on this matter, I am 67 years old, I no longer have health, physically I have weakened, I can no longer run.
I do not want anymore.
*
I sequestered Kim Kardashian, Yunice Abbas and Thierry Niemen, Editions L'archipel, 18 euros.
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