Two far-right activists go on trial in Paris on Monday over the 2022 killing of former Argentina rugby international Federico Martin Aramburu, who was shot dead following a late-night altercation in the French capital.
42-year-old Aramburu was with fellow former rugby player Shaun Hegarty at a brasserie in central Paris in the early hours of 19 March 2022 when an argument broke out with Loik Le Priol and Romain Bouvier.
The confrontation initially took place inside the restaurant but escalated after the two rugby players left.
Prosecutors allege that Le Priol and Bouvier later caught up with Aramburu and that several shots were fired, fatally wounding the former Argentina international.
Le Priol, 32, is charged with murder, while Bouvier, 35, faces a charge of attempted murder. The trial is expected to last several weeks and both men face the possibility of life imprisonment if convicted.
Le Priol, a former commando and member of the now dissolved far-right student group GUD, is suspected of firing the shots that killed Aramburu.
He was arrested several days after the killing at the border between Hungary and Ukraine. According to investigators, he told police at the time that he had been travelling to Ukraine to fight following Russia's full-scale invasion.
A late-night dispute turns violent
Investigators say the confrontation began after Hegarty criticised Le Priol over the way he had spoken to another customer in the restaurant.
Le Priol then tapped Hegarty on the head, according to the investigation.
As Aramburu and Hegarty were leaving the establishment, Aramburu grabbed Le Priol by the hood and threw him to the ground. A fight followed, leaving Le Priol with several broken teeth before the two rugby players left the scene.
Prosecutors say Le Priol and Bouvier then pursued the pair in a vehicle belonging to Le Priol's then girlfriend.
Bouvier is alleged to have fired at Aramburu before fleeing. Le Priol is then accused of arriving on foot and firing further shots at the Argentine, killing him.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting and the respective roles played by the two defendants are expected to be at the heart of the trial.
Both men were already under investigation at the time of Aramburu's killing in connection with the 2015 beating of a former GUD official.
In 2022, they were convicted over that attack, with Le Priol sentenced to two years in prison and Bouvier to three years.
A respected figure in French rugby
Aramburu had settled in the southwestern French coastal town of Biarritz after retiring from professional rugby.
Born in La Plata, Argentina, he won 22 caps for the national side between 2004 and 2009 and represented his country at international level during one of the strongest periods in Argentine rugby.
He spent much of his club career in France, playing for Perpignan, Biarritz and Dax, while also having a spell with the Glasgow Warriors in Scotland.
Aramburu had remained closely connected to the rugby world after retiring and was a familiar figure in Biarritz, where his death prompted widespread shock.
His killing has drawn attention to the backgrounds of the two suspects and their links to the French far right.
(with newswires)
