A guard at the Paris hotel where Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint earlier this month is blaming the facility’s lack of security for the heist.
In an interview with the Daily Mail the man, identified only as Abdulrahman, said that he warned the Hôtel de Pourtalès about its lax security years before the Kardashian theft, but that his bosses “didn’t care” about it.
He also said there was so few safeguards that he feared “someone might die.”
“There was no real security at all. It’s a choice,” he said in the interview. “The hotel doesn’t mind about security. We told them years and years before, you have to make a camera, you have to put [in place] a security process, about keys. Nothing was locked, there was no proper security there.’
Abdulrahman also revealed that the security code for the front door of the prestigious hotel hadn’t been changed since 2010, so “everyone knew it.” In addition, Daily Mail reporters claim they found that the code still hadn’t been changed two weeks after the robbery, having tried the code themselves while filming.
The 39-year-old guard also claimed that there have been no functioning security cameras at the hotel for at least six years, and that there is regularly only one guard on duty. Kardashian’s apartment door allegedly only had a Yale-type lock, with no additional bolt for security.
“There is a camera in the main wall of the hotel, behind the big red [front] doors, but it didn’t work for years,” he said. According to the Mail, management withheld installing cameras so its A-list clients wouldn’t be filmed entering the hotel.
Abdulrahman was the only guard on duty when the reality star was robbed at gunpoint. She was tied up by armed robbers, locked in a bathroom and had over $10 million worth of jewelry stolen on Oct. 2, according to the Associated Press.
The Daily Mail reported that Abdulrahman is pressing charges against the hotel. He said he was handcuffed at gunpoint and forced to act as the interpreter during the attack. He revealed that three robbers were dressed in police uniforms, with two wearing balaclavas. They immediately asked for the security video. He was told to never look at the robber or he “will kill” him.
“Immediately afterwards, I was very angry, and the first one I blamed was the hotel,” he said. “They are responsible, I think. And I still blame them now.”
A representative for the hotel declined TheWrap’s request for comment.
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Margaret Cho vs. Tilda Swinton After Swinton came under fire for her role as The Ancient One in "Doctor Strange," Margaret Cho revealed that the actress came to her seeking an explanation as to why the movie was being criticized for whitewashing the role. Cho said the exchange made her feel like "a house Asian," leading Swinton to release the entire email exchange.
Camila Cabello vs. Fifth Harmony Fans of the girl group Fifth Harmony were shocked when the group announced on Twitter that they had been informed through Cabello's manager that she would be leaving the group to focus on her solo career. This led to public a back-and-forth between the two parties over how exactly the split went down.
Lady Gaga vs. Madonna Madonna had previously accused Lady Gaga of ripping off "Express Yourself" in her 2011 single "Born This Way," and the feud between the pop stars was reignited in 2016 when Gaga said in a Beats 1 interview that "[Madonna]’s a nice lady, and she’s had a fantastic huge career ... [but] what I do is different. I’m not just rehearsing over and over again to put on a show."
"The Real O'Neals" star Noah Galvin first came out swinging with an unfiltered interview in which he called Haynes' coming out "f—ing p—y bullshit," which the former "Arrow" star later said was "absolutely uncalled for." Swift criticism led Galvin to issue an apology just a few hours later.
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Dwayne Johnson vs. Vin Diesel
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson went off on some of his male "Fast 8" co-stars on Instagram, calling them "candy asses" and unprofessional, leading TMZ to report that he was referring to co-star and producer Vin Diesel.
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Calvin Harris vs. Taylor Swift
Harris and Swift's split seemed amicable at first, but then reports began to surface claiming that Swift ghostwrote his summer hit, "This Is What You Came For." Harris clearly believed Swift's reps were behind the leak, tweeting that it was a "hurtful" attempt by her and her team to make him look bad following their break-up.
The drama over Kanye West's Taylor Swift name-dropping single "Famous" came to a head when Kim Kardashian shared video on Snapchat of Swift approving the controversial lyrics prior to their release. Swift then responded on Twitter and Instagram with a note defending herself.
Chloe Grace Moretz, a frequent critic of the Kardashians, came to Taylor Swift's defense in the "Famous" debacle, leading Khloe Kardashian to respond with a mocking tweet featuring a NSFW photo of a young woman on the beach, whom she believed to be Moretz.
Chrissy Teigen and Piers Morgan have frequently engaged in Twitter battles, including the time Teigen called the Daily Mail columnist a "piece of s--- a--hole" after he criticized a Huffington Post column by "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston blasting tabloid media.
"Difficult People" star Billy Eichner accused TV personality Ross Mathews of ripping off his show "Billy on the Street" for a commercial, leading to a prolonged Twitter feud, which ended in Mathews calling Eichner a "d---."
Disney Channel star Skai Jackson won praise from social media when she shut down Twitter troll Azealia Banks by telling the rapper to "simmer down a little" after one of her many race-focused rants.
Wiz Khalifa took aim at West on Twitter when the latter announced that his album would be titled "Waves" (it later became "The Life of Pablo"). West didn't take kindly to the jab, ripping into Khalifa with a string of tweets attacking his music, his clothing and even his kids.
When the song "Til It Happens to You" from "The Hunting Ground" soundtrack received an Oscar nomination, songwriter Linda Perry accused Lady Gaga of taking a songwriting credit she didn't deserve. Perry later publicly apologized for the tweets after Gaga's co-writer, Diane Warren, came to the pop star's defense.
Upset about Susan Sarandon's choice of wardrobe to introduce the In Memoriam tribute at the SAG Awards, Piers Morgan took to Twitter to call her outfit "horribly inappropriate." Sarandon simply responded with a photo of herself in a bra from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," dedicated to Morgan.
A bevy of stars came out in defense of Kesha in her dispute with Sony and music producer Dr. Luke, but Demi Lovato wasn't satisfied by Taylor Swift's choice to donate money to help cover the singer's legal fees. "Take something to Capitol Hill or actually speak out about something and then I'll be impressed," she wrote.
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Kanye West vs. Deadmau5
When house music producer Deadmau5 came after Kanye West on Twitter, the "Life of Pablo" rapper fired back with his typical string of angry tweets. "Do you do birthday parties?? My daughter loves Minnie mouse," West wrote, referencing the mask the producer wears on stage.
Sam Smith stuck his foot in his mouth after winning an Oscar for his James Bond theme "Writing's on the Wall," mistakenly suggesting that he might be the first openly gay man to win an Academy Award. "Milk" screenwriter and openly gay Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black called him out on Twitter, suggesting that the singer familiarize himself with his work.
When Kim Kardashian shared a nude selfie, Bette Midler wrote on Twitter that "if Kim wants us to see a part of her we’ve never seen, she’s gonna have to swallow the camera.” Kim's sassy response didn't stop a slew of other celebrities from adding their own two cents, including Chloe Grace Moretz accusing the reality star of being a bad role model and Miley Cyrus accusing them all of being "tacky."
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Rewind 2016: From Kanye West’s rants to Piers Morgan’s wardrobe shaming, the year’s biggest celebrity beefs