One of the authors of the Kim Kardashian heist: “What interested us was her diamond”

Paris. American star Kim Kardashian suffered a theft of 9 million euros (almost 11 million dollars) during Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Considered the coup of the century, one of its authors, Yunice Abbas, has just published a book detailing his version of the bizarre heist.

“J’ai sequestré Kim Kardashian” (I kidnapped Kim Kardashian) is not a story that condones the facts. Abbas accepts them and is even pleased that everything “happened very well and very quickly”. Less than ten minutes had passed between arrival and departure, ”he says in an interview with EFE.

He, who is 67 years old, has two children and three grandchildren, did not know the potential victim. All he knew was that she was a famous woman, and knowing about the national and international media echo the next day, he immediately regretted it.

“I said to myself: we are ready because they are going to use all means. Every street camera, every possible witness, ”points out who, after spending 22 months in detention in this case, is now in temporary freedom awaiting trial until October 2018.

The ‘Yayos’ band

His group was known as “the band of the Yayos” because the five members were between 60 and 72 years old. But behind those grandparents were people with criminal past who had planned their coup for weeks, taking advantage of the invisibility that their neutral appearance gave them when examining the future scene of events.

Kardashian and some of her entourage were in the French capital to attend the Fashion Week shows, and on the day of the robbery, the night of October 3, the stars lined up for Abbas and the other henchmen.

The star’s bodyguard, one of her sisters, and the limo driver had gone to a nightclub and her mother was resting in the hotel. She stayed in the rented apartment accompanied by her secretary.

What interested us was his diamond. That attracted us. He had pictures everywhere with him ”, says Abbas about that engagement ring with rapper Kanye West. The surprise came when they also found jewelry borrowed from luxury homes.

A robbery without physical violence

They entered his home wearing fake police coats. The author of “J’ai sequestré Kim Kardashian” provided the janitor. He captivated him and the rest of the group took him to the apartment to use as a translator, because he spoke English.

Abbas has never met the quintessential reality show queen, with 203 million followers on Instagram.

But according to him, the theft itself was manual. There was no reason to threaten. She cooperated. In general, it always is. There is no reason to resist, it would be foolish, ”adds this Frenchman of Algerian descent who lives on the outskirts of Paris.

Kardashian was also tied up and although her secretary hid in the bathroom and called the police, the gang got lucky again: She called 911, the US emergency number, not the French 112, which gave them plenty of time to get the jewelry and get it. flights, by bike and also on foot.

Abbas, who has spent a total of about 21 years in prison for other past robberies, was betrayed by the remains of DNA that, despite wearing two gloves, stuck to the rope with which he tied the janitor.

His accomplices were also tracked down, and the trial in the Criminal Court for organized gang robbery and kidnapping, which will accommodate 12 suspects, has at least a year to go.

Abbas, who signed up for the robbery because he needed money to get a place to work as a mechanic, says he received just $ 70,000 (almost $ 84,270) from the loot and is so clear about his chances of going back to prison he goes to the public with a backpack ready.

It’s unlikely he would meet Kardashian in person, but if he did, he would apologize. ‘If you don’t want or can’t do it, you’re right. I’m sorry, but I can’t do more, I can’t go back ”.