Two men with links to the far-right have been jailed for the fatal shooting of former Argentina international rugby player Federico Martin Aramburu in the streets of Paris.
Loik Le Priol, 32, who fired the fatal shots, was sentenced to 26 years in prison, while Romain Bouvier, 35, was jailed for 19 years after being found guilty over the killing.
Drive-by attack in Paris
Aramburu, who won 22 caps for Argentina, was shot dead in a drive-by attack in the French capital in March 2022 after an early-morning altercation broke out in a bar near Boulevard Saint-Germain. The former rugby star was just 42 when he was killed.
Le Priol asked Aramburu's family for forgiveness as the trial concluded in a Paris court on Friday. "I'm Christian like you, the pope is here today," he said, referring to Pope Leo XIV's visit to France. "I don't know if it's a sign... [I] hope one day you can find the strength to forgive me," he added.
Rugby career and trial details
Aramburu was a key member of the Argentina side that finished third at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, scoring a try against the hosts in the third-place play-off. He also enjoyed a long career in French rugby, playing for Perpignan, Biarritz and Dax before moving to Glasgow Warriors in 2010.
CCTV footage reviewed during the investigation showed Aramburu and former Argentina and Biarritz team-mate Shaun Hegarty sitting at a bar opposite Le Priol and Bouvier on March 19, 2022. An altercation then broke out between the two groups of men. Le Priol and Bouvier were both linked at the time to a far-right extremist group which has since been dissolved.
Aftermath and impact
After Aramburu and Hegarty left the bar and began walking towards their hotel, Le Priol and Bouvier drove around in search of them. They eventually found the pair and opened fire. Aramburu was struck by several bullets and died at the scene.
Le Priol was later arrested in Hungary while attempting to cross the border into Ukraine. He told Hungarian police that he was travelling to Ukraine to fight. During the trial, Le Priol's defence cited post-traumatic stress disorder, while Bouvier's lawyers referred to childhood trauma. But Le Priol was described in court as being "animated by the will to kill". "The narcissistic, intrusive and uncontrollable rage of Loik Le Priol ultimately led to the gratuitous killing of Mr. Aramburu," the presiding judge said.
Aramburu's widow Maria had asked the court for a verdict that would allow her and the couple's three children "to build their lives as adults". The case also drew an emotional response from the rugby world, with the current Italy Six Nations coach, Gonzalo Quesada, among those to appear at the trial. He was overcome with emotion as he attended proceedings, describing his former team-mate as a "joyful, humane and geenrous person". Aramburu's death sent shockwaves through French and Argentine rugby, with tributes continuing to be paid to the former international four years after his murder.
