Police probe theft of ‘highly intimate’ Carla Bruni photos

POLICE in France have launched a probe after burglars reportedly stole more than 100 “highly intimate” photos and film footage of the country’s first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy from a Paris apartment.

The images, shot during the model-turned-singer’s romance with philosopher Raphael Enthoven, were taken during a raid on a property on the city’s Left Bank on Sunday night.

The apartment belongs to Enthoven’s brother, Julien, who is reported to have been entrusted with the photos to avoid any potential embarrassment to Bruni-Sarkozy or her husband, French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Burglars stole a laptop containing photos of Bruni-Sarkozy, a digital camera and video material from the home.

And officers working on the case are investigating the possibility the thieves deliberately targeted the property, knowing the sensitive images were stored there.

A source told London’s Evening Standard newspaper: “The thieves appeared to know exactly what they were looking for — taking highly intimate prints, a camera full of further images, videos, and numerous computer files.

“They broke into Mr Enthoven’s flat in the sixth arrondissement (district) on Sunday night, forcing open a window in the sitting room.

“Nobody was at home at the time, and nothing else was taken.”

The theft occurred on the night before the presidential couple arrived in Spain, where Bruni-Sarkozy has hit the headlines as a fashion rival to Princess Letizia.

This is the third time this year that people linked to President Nicolas Sarkozy have been burgled in Paris.

In February, the home of Sarkozy’s brother, Francois, was raided and a week earlier, €550,000 worth of designer jewellery was taken from the apartment of Cecilia Attias, the president’s second wife.

Carla Bruni met Raphael, a philosopher who was married at the time, while going out with his father, Jean-Paul Enthoven in 2001. But they separated six years later.

The first lady’s ex-lovers include British rock stars Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, as well as Donald Trump, the US tycoon, and a number of other public figures.

Nude pictures of her were released just before a state visit to Britain last year.

Since then she has been trying hard to tone down her risque image.

Police fear the thieves could take advantage of her high profile by selling the pictures for hundreds of thousands of euro or else cause maximum embarrassment to the president by posting the images on the internet.