Masked men put a gun to reality TV star Kim Kardashian’s head, left her tied up in the bathroom of her luxury residence in Paris and stole millions of dollars’ worth of jewellery in the early hours of yesterday, police and her publicist said.
Kardashian, who her publicist said was “badly shaken but physically unharmed,” spoke to investigators and then left France aboard a private jet.
It was not immediately known where Kardashian, whose home is outside Los Angeles, was headed.
Five attackers, wearing ski masks and clothes with police markings, struck around 3am (0100 GMT) inside the exclusive apartment block where Kardashian, 35, was staying while attending Paris Fashion Week, a police source said.
Two of the men entered Kardashian’s apartment after threatening the night guard with a hand gun.
Kardashian, who has two young children with husband-rapper Kanye West, was not beaten but the robbers put a handgun against her temple before tying her up, the source said.
iTELE television said she had been tied up with packing tape. E! News, whose US network broadcasts the Keeping Up With the Kardashians television show, yesterday quoted a source close to Kardashian as saying she feared for her life.
“She begged for them to let her live and (said) she has babies at home...She thought they were for sure going to kill her,” the unidentified source told E! News.
The robbers stole a box with 5mn to 6mn euros’ ($5.6mn to $6.7mn) worth of jewels and a ring worth about 4mn euros ($4.5mn), the Paris police source said. As news of the robbery spread, West abruptly ended a performance in New York less than an hour into his set on Sunday night.
“I’m sorry I have a family emergency, I have to stop the show,” West told the audience in video tweeted by fans.
The Paris apartment block is a discreet building behind the city’s Madeleine church, with several secret entrances, often frequented by movie and music stars who pay up to 15,000 euros ($16,800) a night. The source said the attackers fled on bicycles.
Police found the night guard in the staircase, his hand and feet bound.
Kardashian was in Paris with her mother, Kris Jenner, and sisters Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian to attend the fashion week. The rest of the family stayed in a hotel.
The robbery set social media alight, with some users making fun of the latest headline-grabbing event in the life of a TV star who documents her life continually on screen and on social media.
“Looking forward to accompanying album and TV show detailing event,” said Twitter user Jay.