French police detain man in connection with €9m robbery of US reality TV star in 2016

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

French police have arrested a man on the Cote d’Azur over the robbery at gunpoint of the US reality TV star Kim Kardashian in Paris in 2016, according to sources involved in the investigation.

The man is to be brought before a magistrate to face possible charges, a judicial source said.

Ten people have already been charged over the robbery on 2 October 2016 at a luxury residence where Kardashian was staying during Paris fashion week.

Five men tied her up, gagged her and locked her in a bathroom, before making off with €9m (£7.8m) in jewels, including her diamond engagement ring worth €4m.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Aa French police officer enters the residence of Kim Kardashian in Paris following the robbery. Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

The robbery was the biggest of an individual in France for 20 years.

One of the robbers fleeing the scene on a bicycle dropped a diamond-encrusted cross worth €30,000, which was found by a passerby a few hours later. It remains the only piece to be recovered from the heist.

The suspected ringleader, 60-year-old Aomar Ait Khedache, told investigators he had struggled to find a buyer for Kardashian’s 18.88-carat ring, a picture of which she had shown on Instagram. Ait Khedache said it was too recognisable and that he had given it to an unidentified third party.

Police believe part of the loot was sold in Belgium.