Suspect in Kardashian jewel heist case plans to take responsibility for his role at Paris trial

PARIS – One of the suspects successful the equipped robbery of Kim Kardashian said helium plans to instrumentality work for his relation successful the 2016 high-profile heist and volition apologize successful tribunal arsenic the proceedings begins Monday successful Paris.

Yunice Abbas, 71, who has publically acknowledged his information successful the heist, is among 10 suspects facing charges including equipped robbery and kidnapping.

“I volition apologize,” Abbas told The Associated Press. “I mean it sincerely.”

Kardashian, 44, is expected to attest successful person astatine the proceedings scheduled to tally done May 23. In interviews and connected her family’s world TV show, she has described being terrified arsenic robbers pointed a weapon astatine her to bargain millions of dollars worthy of jewelry successful an flat wherever she was staying for Paris Fashion Week. She said she thought she was going to beryllium raped and killed.

Abbas said helium acted arsenic a lookout astatine the reception country connected the crushed floor, ensuring the flight way was clear. He said helium was unarmed and did not personally endanger Kardashian, but acknowledged helium shared work for the crime.

He was arrested successful January 2017 and helium spent 21 months successful situation earlier being released nether judicial supervision. In 2021, helium co-authored a French-language publication titled “I Sequestered Kim Kardashian.”

Tied up with integrative cables and tape

In her relationship to investigators, Kardashian described 2 men forcing their mode into her chamber and pointing a weapon towards her, asking for her ring. She said she was tied up with integrative cables and portion portion the intruders were looking for jewels, including her engagement ringing worthy millions of dollars.

In a 2020 quality connected David Letterman’s Netflix show, she tearfully recalled thinking: “This is the clip I’m going to get raped. I’m like, ‘What is happening? Are we gonna die? Just archer them I person children. I person babies, I person a husband, I person a family’.”

She told investigators the men brought her successful the bath earlier they ran disconnected and she managed to escaped herself.

The residency’s concierge, held astatine gunpoint and forced to pb the robbers to her apartment, besides suffered intelligence impact.

Investigators recovered Abbas' DNA connected integrative ties utilized to necktie the hands of the concierge.

Asked astir the trauma Kardashian suffered, Abbas said : “It’s true, I didn’t deliberation astir it. I admit that due to the fact that I did not brutalize her myself… I was not blaming myself regarding this aspect, and yet I’m liable for it too.”

Stolen jewels worthy $6 million

According to Abbas, minutes aft the raid started, his accomplices came down from Kardashian's flat and gave him a container of jewelry.

As helium was fleeing the country connected a bicycle, helium saw a constabulary car, but officers were not yet alert of the robbery. Abbas said arsenic helium rode the bicycle the container containing the jewelry became caught successful the beforehand instrumentality and helium fell to the ground, spilling the contents of the bag. “I picked the jewels up and left,” helium said.

The pursuing morning, a passerby recovered a diamond-encrusted transverse successful the thoroughfare and handed it to police. That was the lone jewel from the robbery that was ever recovered.

French justness estimated stolen items to beryllium worthy $6 cardinal successful total.

Abbas said helium didn’t cognize Kardashian’s individuality astatine the clip of the robbery.

“I was told astir a celebrated person, a rapper’s wife. That’s each the accusation I had,” helium said. “Until the adjacent morning, erstwhile I heard connected TV astir the influencer. That’s erstwhile I understood who she was.”

He said helium volition item his relation during the trial, which volition beryllium conducted with a jury, a process successful France reserved for the astir superior crimes – yet helium would not denounce his accomplices.

“I’m lone an outsider. I’m not the 1 who masterminded the case. I instrumentality my stock of responsibility,” helium said.

Most of the suspects person denied involvement, but for Abbas and different antheral whose DNA was besides recovered astatine the scene.

FBI involvement

Thierry Niemen, the writer who co-authored Abbas' book, said Abbas approached him due to the fact that helium wanted to “tell his ain truth” amid what helium saw arsenic inaccurate oregon sensationalized accounts.

The publication besides revealed investigative details, including however the FBI helped French constabulary place Abbas’ DNA contempt him wearing gloves.

“This is the lawsuit of each superlatives,” Niemen said. “The FBI overseeing an probe connected French territory — that’s already a superlative.” Kardashian was past the apical influencer successful the satellite and the lawsuit was the astir fashionable taxable connected the societal media successful 2016, Niemen stressed.

Abbas’ net from the publication person been frozen pending the result of the trial.

Kardashian's lawyer, Michael Rhodes, has said the world TV prima and entrepreneur wants the proceedings "to proceed successful an orderly manner successful accordance with French instrumentality and with respect for each parties to the case."

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AP Writer Nicolas Vaux-Montagny successful Lyon, France contributed to the story.

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