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Two men linked to the far right have been sentenced to prison for the 2022 murder of former Argentine international rugby player Federico Martin Aramburu in Paris, according to Reuters.
Loik Le Priol, 32, the former soldier who fired the fatal shots, received a 26-year sentence. Romain Bouvier, 35, who initially opened fire, was sentenced to 19 years.
Aramburu, 42, was killed in a drive-by shooting on 19 March 2022 after an early-morning altercation at a bar near Boulevard Saint-Germain. He died at the scene.
Attack followed an altercation at a Paris bar
CCTV footage examined during the investigation showed Aramburu and former teammate Shaun Hegarty sitting at a bar opposite Le Priol and Bouvier. The two groups became involved in a confrontation before the former rugby players left for their hotel.
Le Priol and Bouvier then drove around looking for them and opened fire. Both men were linked at the time to a far-right extremist group that has since been dissolved.
Le Priol was later arrested in Hungary while attempting to cross the border into Ukraine. He told Hungarian police that he intended to go to Ukraine to fight.
Sentences handed down after trial
During Friday’s hearing in a Paris court, Le Priol asked Aramburu’s family for forgiveness. Referring to Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France, he said: “I’m Christian like you, the pope is here today. I don’t know if it’s a sign... I hope one day you can find the strength to forgive me.”
The defence cited post-traumatic stress disorder in Le Priol’s case and childhood trauma in Bouvier’s. However, the court described Le Priol as “animated by the will to kill”. The presiding judge said his “narcissistic, intrusive and uncontrollable rage” had led to Aramburu’s “gratuitous killing”.
Aramburu’s widow, Maria, had asked for a verdict that would allow her and their three children “to build their lives as adults”.
Aramburu’s rugby career
Aramburu represented Argentina 22 times, including at the 2007 World Cup in France, where he scored a try against the hosts as Argentina finished third.
He also played for French clubs Perpignan, Biarritz and Dax before joining Glasgow Warriors in 2010.
