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The trial for the 2016 Paris robbery involving Kim Kardashian has officially begun, and one of the accused suspects, 71-year-old Yunice Abbas, has publicly expressed regret over his role in the crime. Abbas, who is among the ten individuals on trial, took the witness stand on April 29 and acknowledged the psychological trauma the robbery caused.
During his testimony, Abbas said, “I regret it, not because I got caught, but because… there was a trauma,” highlighting the lasting emotional damage from the incident.
Abbas co-authored a 2021 book titled I Kidnapped Kim Kardashian, though he clarified that the title was misleading—he maintained that he never entered Kardashian’s hotel room but instead waited outside during the heist. He also stated that he did not personally profit from the book, with any earnings being held pending the trial’s outcome.
The robbery occurred during Paris Fashion Week in October 2016, when five masked men broke into Kim Kardashian’s hotel suite. At the time, her older sister Kourtney and their bodyguard were away. Kim was taken hostage, bound, and held at gunpoint while her jewelry—valued at approximately $10 million—was stolen. Among the stolen items were Cartier bracelets, diamond earrings, a gold Rolex, and Kanye West’s $4 million engagement ring.
Following the heist, French police arrested 17 suspects in early 2017, and ten have been formally charged with armed robbery and kidnapping.
Kim Kardashian, now 44, is expected to testify in person during the trial. She has previously testified that she believed the thieves were tracking her movements via social media and revealed that she was alone in her hotel room at the time, sharing details on Keeping Up With the Kardashians back in 2017.
The trial is a high-profile case attracting significant media attention, with the courtroom drama unfolding nearly seven years after the shocking incident.