French police arrested 16 people on Monday in connection with the October 2016 theft of more than $10 million worth of jewellery from Kim Kardashian West. Paris police say the arrests began on Monday morning in several areas around the city.
Twelve people will stand trial in Paris over a US$10 million ($14.2m) jewellery heist targeting Kim Kardashian West in 2016, authorities said on Friday.
The reality TV star said she was tied up at gunpoint and locked in a bathroom after armed robbers forced their way into her rented Parisapartment during fashion week.
After five years of investigation, investigating judges have ordered the case sent to trial, a judicial official said on Friday. The 12 suspects face a range of charges related to the theft. No trial date has been set, and the official would not provide further details.
Kardashian West's French lawyer did not immediately comment.
Several suspects have been released from jail pending trial for health reasons, including 68-year-old Yunice Abbas, one of the five men accused of carrying out the heist itself, who published a book about it last year.
The alleged mastermind, Aomar Ait Khedache, wrote Kardashian West an apology letter from his prison cell, saying he regrets his actions and realises the psychological damage he caused.
At the time, a spokeswoman for Kardashian West said she was badly shaken but physically unharmed.
In 2017, a police statement in which she described the moment she lost $14.5m worth of jewels was published for the first time.
Kim Kardashian West has spoken out about the trauma she experienced during and after the robbery. Photo / Getty Images
She told officers she heard a noise at the door and "shouted out" but no one answered.
The Daily Mail reports that she described how masked thugs grabbed her and took her out to the entry hall.
She said: "I was in a bathrobe, naked underneath. We went back to the bedroom and they pushed me onto the bed."
The statement release came as the full names of the alleged gang members behind the robbery were made public, and Kardashian prepared to travel to France to give evidence against them.
