PARIS — French police arrested16 people in connection with the armed robbery of Kim Kardashian West in a luxury Paris apartment, officials said Monday.
The suspects were being questioned and could be held for 96 hours before either being charged or let go, the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed. The arrests occurred in five cities across France.
The reality TV star was held at gunpoint by two masked men at the Hôtel de Pourtalès, a mansion hotel popular with celebrities because of its privacy and exclusivity, and robbed of millions of dollars worth of jewelry late on Oct. 2.
The culprits escaped with a ring worth about $4.5 million and a jewelry box containing other items worth $5.6 million, judicial sources said at the time.
At the time of the assault, a source with knowledge of the hotel's security said an overnight watchman was on duty when he was overcome by armed men. They took the key to where Kardashian West was staying and ran around the building trying to find the correct apartment.
Once inside the apartment, the men tied up Kardashian West and put her in the bathroom, the source said. The robbers seemed to have known that security was light, which triggered speculation the heist may have been an inside job.
The star was left "badly shaken but physically unharmed" after the incident, her spokeswoman said.
