An armed bodyguard accused of attacking a Parisian decorator on Sept. 26 is facing a number of charges after he was arrested on Oct. 1. The Saudi princess who allegedly ordered the assault has since fled the French capital.
Princess Hassa, 42, the daughter of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, allegedly ordered her bodyguard to kill the decorator after he was caught taking photos of her luxury apartment located in the 16th arrondissement.
The decorator said it was necessary for him to take photos of his work to ensure all items of furniture were returned to their original positions. Hassa believed otherwise and felt his intentions were to sell the photographs to the press.
“You have to kill this dog, he doesn’t deserve to live,” the princess allegedly told her bodyguard soon afterwards, reported The Local France.
According to French media reports, the unnamed bodyguard allegedly hit the 53-year-old decorator over the head, bound his hands, and held him captive for four hours. He then allegedly made the decorator kiss the princess’s feet and only let him go after another man intervened. The decorator also told police that they took a photograph of his Parisian identification card and told him “to never return to the 16th arrondissement of Paris.”
Police said the decorator had visible injuries that were consistent with his statements regarding the attack.
The bodyguard was arrested and appeared in court on Oct. 1, and is facing charges including violence with a firearm, kidnapping, and assisted kidnapping, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
During court proceedings, the bodyguard said he conducted the minimum action necessary to “restrain” the decorator after he was found taking pictures. He also said Princess Hassa—who has since left France and claimed diplomatic immunity—was present during the incident.
The bodyguard’s attorney, Elie Hatem, questioned the decorator’s claims.
“There were more than twenty people in the apartments. How can the facts as outlined by the complainant have been overlooked?”
The decorator also claimed he wasn’t paid for his services.
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