‘I don’t care’: Man who robbed Kim Kardashian at gunpoint says he has no regrets

By Malavika Pradeep

Published Aug 22, 2022 at 10:29 AM

Reading time: 2 minutes

35092

In September 2016, business and beauty mogul Kim Kardashian landed in Paris and checked into Hôtel de Pourtalès with her then-husband, Kanye West. “Parisian Vibes,” read her first Instagram post from the capital city, announcing her arrival to her followers.

Out of the 14 Instagram photos that followed, the SKIMS founder was seen posing with precious jewellery in her mouth and a 20-karat-diamond ring on her finger, which West had reportedly purchased from Lorraine Schwartz Diamonds & Fine Jewelry, New York for around $4 million. At the time, Kardashian signed the post without words, and only three diamond emojis.

During the early hours of 3 October, five men gained entry to Kardashian’s hotel room by posing as cops and robbed $10 million worth of jewellery from the reality TV star at gunpoint. Kardashian was then reportedly bound and gagged, and placed in a bathtub. More than five years later, judges indicted 12 people in connection with the incident—all aged between 60 and 72, earning them the nickname ‘grandpa gangsters’.

Now, in a recent interview with Vice, one of the masterminds behind the robbery has spoken out—blaming Kardashian for the crime by stating that she “should be a little less showy.”

“I went on the internet and it’s true—I saw her jewellery, I saw her ring, I saw that she showed it everywhere and we knew this information through social media,” Yunis Abbas, who was released from prison after 22 months for heart-related health issues, told the publication. Abbas went on to recount the incident and claimed that “Kardashian’s secretary called for help” but dialled 911 despite being in France. He further highlighted how he was traced because of the DNA he left while overpowering a guard.

“I knew her husband, Kanye West, but I didn’t know her,” Abbas continued. “But I saw one of her shows where she threw her diamond in the pool. In that episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, I thought, ‘She’s got a lot of money. This lady doesn’t care at all’.”

‘I don’t care’: Man who robbed Kim Kardashian at gunpoint says he has no regrets

When asked if he feels guilty about what happened, Abbas said: “Since she was throwing money away, I was there to collect it, and that was that. Guilty? No, I don’t care.” In terms of celebrities and influencers posting their precious belongings on social media, he further mentioned: “They should be a little less showy towards people who can’t afford it. For some people, it’s provocative.”

To date, Kardashian has repeatedly spoken about the traumatising incident, admitting that the life-changing ordeal has left her fearful and constantly anxious. Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2017, the mogul recalled the exact moment the robbers burst into her apartment.

“Automatically, your stomach drops. It’s a feeling you can’t even explain. I knew that was it for me. I said a prayer, like, ‘I know I’m going to heaven. I hope my kids are okay, and my husband’,” she said. “But it does happen really fast. It was a good seven or eight minutes of torture, but when I look back and I analyse it, I’m like, ‘Okay, they weren’t aggressive.’ It could have been way worse, so I don’t want to sound like I’m not grateful. I’m out, I’m home, I’m safe, I’m such a better person—it’s okay. Let’s move on.”

“You don’t come out of it unscathed,” Abbas acknowledged when asked about the incident leaving the reality TV star rattled, adding, “We didn’t expect this. Of course, she must have been traumatised. I don’t doubt it.”

According to French media, Abbas has been in and out of jail for various crimes in the past and allegedly robbed the mogul because he was “short on cash.” He has also written about the heist in his memoir called I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian.

Keep On Reading

By Eliza Frost

Couples who meet online are less happy in love, new research finds

By Charlie Sawyer

Gavin Casalegno cancelled? The Summer I Turned Pretty fans turn on him amid cast drama

By Abby Amoakuh

Gwyneth Paltrow refused intimacy coordinators for sex scenes with Timothée Chalamet

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Keep vaping or your Tamagotchi dies. Introducing the latest vape invention in New York

By Charlie Sawyer

Father of former Harry Potter star gives serious warning to the new child stars in HBO Max reboot

By Eliza Frost

All the Easter eggs from the first episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3

By Abby Amoakuh

Harry Potter reboot hit with racist backlash for casting Black actor Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape

By Charlie Sawyer

Wednesday star Jenna Ortega reveals surprising dream role in recent interview

By Payton Turkeltaub

Do Gen Z secretly hate their boyfriends? TikTok’s viral #IHateMyBF says yes

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

How celebrities like Mark Wahlberg and Gwen Stefani are monetising spirituality through the Hallow app

By Amna Akram

Hira Anwar’s tragic story: How a teen’s fight for identity sparked a call to action to end honour killings

By Eliza Frost

How to spot a performative male out in the wild 

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Toddler suspended from nursery for transphobic behaviour sparks UK-wide outrage

By Alma Fabiani

The disturbing TikTok trend sexualising fake Down syndrome faces using AI filters

By Charlie Sawyer

What is ketamine therapy, the psychiatric treatment healing famous Mormons Jen and Zac Affleck’s marriage?

By Abby Amoakuh

Single White Female remake starring Jenna Ortega and Taylor Russell hit with racist backlash

By Alma Fabiani

BLACKPINK’s Jennie, Lisa and Rosé caught saying the N word in newly leaked videos

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

How incel TikTok accounts are rebranding to avoid getting banned

By Charlie Sawyer

What is Mar-a-Lago face? Unpacking the beauty trend prompted by Donald Trump’s second term

By Abby Amoakuh

Celebrity Big Brother: JoJo Siwa’s partner Kath Ebbs turns off comments amid Chris Hughes romance rumours