Paris trial opens over Argentine rugby star killing

After the sportsmen left, the two accused are suspected of having fired several shots at Aramburu, who died of his wounds.

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Published Sep 07, 2026  •  2 minute read

Aramburu earned 22 caps for Argentina from 2004 to 2009. Photo by Thibault SOUNY /AFP

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Paris, France, Sept 7, 2026 (AFP) — Two far-right activists are to go on trial in Paris on Monday over the 2022 killing of Argentine rugby international Federico Martin Aramburu after a late-night argument turned violent.

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Aramburu, 42, was with another player sitting at a brasserie in Paris in the early hours of March 19, 2022, when they argued with Loik Le Priol and Romain Bouvier.

After the sportsmen left, the two accused are suspected of having fired several shots at Aramburu, who died of his wounds.

Le Priol, 32, and Bouvier, 35, have been charged with murder and attempted murder, respectively, in a trial to last several weeks, and risk up to life in jail if they are found guilty.

Le Priol, a former commando and member of a now-dissolved ultra-right movement GUD, is suspected of having fired the shots that killed the rugbyman.

He was arrested several days later at the Hungary-Ukraine border, where he told police he was “going to Ukraine to fight” after Russia’s full-scale invasion.

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Aramburu had been living in the southwestern French town of Biarritz after retiring. He played club rugby for Perpignan, Biarritz and Dax in France, as well as for the Glasgow Warriors.

He earned 22 caps for Argentina from 2004 to 2009.

Le Priol and Bouvier were at the time of the killing, already under investigation over the 2015 beating of a former GUD official. A court in 2022 sentenced them to two and three years in jail over the incident.

According to the investigation, tensions soared at the restaurant after Aramburu’s friend, fellow rugby player Shaun Hegarty, criticized Le Priol for the way he snapped at another customer. Le Priol tapped him on the head.

As the rugby players left, Aramburu grabbed him by the hood, slamming him to the ground. The ensuing exchange of blows left Le Priol with a few broken teeth, as the rugby players fled the scene.

After catching up with them in the vehicle of Le Priol’s then girlfriend, Bouvier shot at Aramburu, before escaping. Le Priol then turned up on foot, firing again at the Argentine and killing him.

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