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Kim Kardashian

Armed robbers held Kim Kardashian West at gunpoint in Paris, stole $10 million in jewelry

Kelly Lawler, and Steph Solis
USA TODAY

Kim Kardashian West has arrived home in the U.S. after being robbed and held at gunpoint inside her Paris hotel Monday.

The Associated Press reports that West left Paris Monday morning a few hours after the incident, and flew to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. From there she traveled in a motorcade to her apartment building in downtown Manhattan, where there was a heavy security presence.

Officials told the Associated Press that the armed assailants, who are still at large, tied Kardashian up and locked her in a bathroom during the robbery. The thieves left with more than $10 million of jewelry, police officials told the AP . The list of taken items includes a jewelry box containing valuables worth 6 million euros ($6.7 million) as well as a ring worth 4 million euros ($4.5 million), according to the AP. The Paris prosecutor's office also told the AP that while five suspects were involved, only two forced their way into Kardashian's residence.

The assailants gained access to the building after a concierge let them in, according to police statements to the AP. The concierge, handcuffed and held at gunpoint, led them to Kardashian's room.

A statement from a source familiar with the situation but unauthorized to speak publicly said  the reality-TV star was "badly shaken but physically unharmed."

Police told AP that the star's family was put under protection. Daughter North, 3, and son Saint, 10 months, were not with Kardashian at the time, according to People and The Telegraph.

The star was in Paris to attend Paris Fashion Week with several members of the Kardashian family, including mom Kris Jenner and sisters Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian.

The Keeping up with the Kardashians star had another rough encounter earlier in the week. Notorious celebrity harasser Vitalii Sediuk (who also  groped model Gigi Hadid in Milan the week prior) ran past a group of fans and stuck out his neck to kiss her buttocks. Kardashian West's bodyguard Pascal Duvier intervened.

On Sunday Kardashian West posted a photo on her Instagram showing a security officer closely following her as she walked the streets of Paris. She captioned the photo, "This guy is always in my shot!"

Gigi Hadid's attacker targets Kim Kardashian during Paris Fashion Week

Mayor Anne Hidalgo of Paris commented on the robbery, expressing support, saying the star will "always be welcome in Paris." She also said she is confident Paris police will find and arrest those involved in the robbery, which, according to Hidalgo, “in no way calls into question police work or security of public space" in Paris.

Hidalgo also cautioned that the attack should not be used for political purposes in the lead-up to the French presidential election in 2017.  “In a complicated context for tourism, in which boosting attendance must be the priority of all, using this incident for polemical purposes would amount to directly harming the tourism sector, which represents 500,000 jobs” in the Paris region, she said.

Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, a conservative Paris council member and candidate in the presidential election, told Europe 1 Radio that "there is a general emergency on security" in the city.

"Regardless of all the very expensive advertising we do to promote 'I Love Paris,' tourism and the image of Paris, all these ads have been brutally canceled by the Kim Kardashian case," Kosciusko-Morizet said.

News of the robbery spread after Kardashian's husband, Kanye West, stopped a performance at The Meadows Music and Arts Festival at Citi Filed in Queens, New York on Sunday night.

West took the stage around 8:45 p.m. After running through his catalog of hits,he abruptly paused his set at about 9:40 p.m., roughly 30 seconds into the ballad Heartless.

"I'm sorry, family emergency," West said. "I have to stop the show."

Shortly after West left the stage, an announcer let disgruntled fans know that the rapper was "offsite" and there would be a 10-minute intermission. The representative returned soon after, saying that the show was over, earning boos and cries of frustration from many concertgoers as they shuffled out.

What went down at Kanye West's canceled Meadows show

In a statement sent to USA TODAY, a festival spokesperson said they would not be issuing refunds to concertgoers.

"Kanye West had to end his performance near the end of his set time to attend to a very frightening and unexpected family emergency. He put on a great show to culminate an incredible weekend of live performances, and we are looking forward to next year's festival. We will not be issuing any refunds."

The Associated Press and Patrick Ryan contributed to this report.

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