He ring It shone in Instagram publications. Also the Diamond necklace and the luxurious Parisian direction. For Kim Kardashiansharing online was something natural, an extension of your fame. But in the early hours of October 3, 2016, that openness turned against him.
Five men masked, getting through policemen, they broke into the residence where he stayed during the Fashion Week. They tied it with adhesive tape and plastic flanges, they locked her in the bathroom and fled with stolen jewelry for an estimated value of 6 million dollars.
Theft caused shock far beyond Paris. It was the most recent moment in which the exhibition of the celebritiesdriven by updates on social networks and the glamor exhibited, collided with the risk of the real world.
The fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld offered a forceful evaluation in the following days. In statements to The Associated Press, he criticized Kardashian’s hypervisibility at a time when fame can lead to serious vulnerabilities.
“Is Too publictoo public; We have to see at what time we live, “he said.” You can’t exhibit your wealth and then surprise you that some want to share it. “
On Tuesday, almost a decade after the night he left her with fear of being seen in public, Kardashian will testify . He will face men accused of perpetrating one of the robberies to the boldest celebrities in modern French history, a moment that she herself described as “the terrifying” that has happened to her in her life.
A crime facilitated by visibility
It Extraordinary of theft It was not only the famous victim, but also how researchers believe it was the goal. Kardashian had published real -time updates from the Hotel Suite. Presumed a 20 carat diamond ringgift of your then husband Kanye West hours before they snatched it.
The attackers did not use digital trackers or hacking tools. Instead, researchers believe they tracked the Kardashian digital information (images, time marks, geolocation) and exploited it with traditional criminal methods.
It was, as some suggested at that time, of a model elaborated from their own transmission.
The Men Police Dressesthey spoke only French and submitted to the concierge, who was forced to act as a translator during the raid.
“I thought they were terrorists,” Kardashian said later a French magistrate in 2017. “They were going to kill me.”
A CALL OF ATTENTION
Kardashianwhich in the past was ridiculed by some French media for being a secondary character of a reality shownow it is in the center of a case with deep cultural resonance.
The theft forced her to reflect on how she lived, published and protected. His brand had been built on access, his life had been transmitted to millions. But that strategy had failed.
“I learned to be more reserved,” he said later. “It is not worth taking the risk.”
Kardashian reinforced his security equipment hiring people with experience in elite protection services, including, as reported, former members of the US Secret Service and CIA. He stopped publishing his location in real time. Luxurious gifts and jewels practically disappeared from their wall.
“Before it was definitely materialistic … but I’m so happy that my children can see me like this,” he reflected on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2017.
Later, Kardashian He acknowledged that the constant sharing had made it a target.
“People watched me,” he said. “They knew what they had. They knew where I was.”
Its withdrawal caused a domino effect on Hollywood and in the fashion world.
The model Gigi Hadid reinforced his Private security In the months after theft. He was seen in Parisian fashion parades surrounded by several guards. Kendall Jenner, Kardashian’s sister, supposedly took similar measures before the parade of Victoria’s Secret of 2016 In Paris, following the new personal protection protocols and digital discretion. Publicists and representatives began advising their clients to delay the publications, eliminate location labels and think twice before showing off online.
The visibility It remained ordinary currency, but for some the rules had changed.
From the adhesive tape to DNA
The Surveillance images They helped the French police reconstruct the chronology of theft, but the advance came from a DNA trail left on plastic bonds used to tie Kardashian.
It coincided with Aomar Aït Khedachea veteran offender whose DNA appeared in the National Database. Telephone listening and surveillance brought the police to others, including Yunice Abbas and Didier Dubreucqknown as “Yeux bleus”. Most of the defendants have a long criminal history.
Abbas later affirmed that he did not know about the Kardashian identity During theft.
But researchers claim that men acted with thorough and disciplined planning. They activated prepaid phones the day before theft and abandoned them immediately after. But in the end, it was not enough.
