Far-Right Gunmen Appeal Sentences for 2022 Paris Killing of Rugby Player Federico Martín Aramburú
Loïk Le Priol and Romain Bouvier have appealed their prison sentences of 26 and 19 years for the 2022 fatal shooting of former Argentine rugby international Federico Martín Aramburú in Paris.
Appeals set stage for second trial
Both men convicted over the fatal shooting of former Argentine rugby international Federico Martín Aramburú have appealed their sentences, ensuring a second criminal trial in Paris. Loïk Le Priol, a 32-year-old former military member, filed his appeal on 5 October 2026 after reaching the end of the legal deadline. His co-defendant, 35-year-old Romain Bouvier, filed an appeal on 2 October 2026 through his legal defense team. The filings follow a three-week trial before the Paris assize court that examined the killing on 19 March 2022.
- Federico Martín Aramburú is shot and killed in central Paris.
- Romain Bouvier is arrested in Sarthe by the BRI.
- Paris assize court sentences Le Priol to 26 years and Bouvier to 19 years in prison.
- Bouvier's defense team announces an appeal against his conviction.
- Le Priol files an appeal against his 26-year sentence.
Verdict of the Paris assize court
On 25 September 2026, the Paris assize court sentenced Le Priol to 26 years in prison for murder and Bouvier to 19 years for attempted murder. The court did not retain the charge of premeditation against either defendant, which had originally framed Le Priol's charge as assassination and Bouvier's as attempted assassination. During the verdict delivery, presiding judge Franck Zientara described the violent dynamic between the two far-right activists before handing down the terms.
Federico Martin Aramburu was the victim of the fatal alchemy of the duo formed by Loïk Le Priol and Romain Bouvier, both driven by a shared fascination with weapons and violence.
- Loïk Le Priol
- 26 years
- Romain Bouvier
- 19 years
Confrontation and fatal shooting
The fatal confrontation occurred on 19 March 2022 in central Paris, following an initial dispute on the terrace of a Parisian brasserie. Aramburú was walking unarmed with his friend Shaun Hegarty, who was also a former rugby player, when the defendants confronted them. Bouvier opened fire first before Le Priol arrived and fired six rounds in four seconds. In total, the two shooters discharged ten bullets at the unarmed athlete. Four bullets struck Aramburú, including three in the back, with two causing fatal wounds. Bouvier fled Paris and stayed at the Grand Hotel in Solesmes, briefly seeking refuge near a Benedictine abbey before being arrested by the Research and Intervention Brigade (BRI) in Sarthe on 23 March 2022.
Defense arguments and ideological context
Throughout the three-week court proceedings, both defendants denied any intent to kill. They argued that they opened fire only to disengage, claiming they feared the physical strength of Aramburú and Hegarty. The court rejected their claim that the initial violence had been initiated by the rugby players. Defense attorney Hugues Vigier explained Bouvier's position regarding the legal classification of his actions.
He said he accepted being sentenced to the maximum for what he did, not for what he did not do. He acknowledges intentional violence with a weapon and total incapacity to work exceeding eight days, but not an attempted homicide.
Vigier also argued that the trial had focused excessively on the defendants' political ties rather than the immediate facts. Bouvier was a member of the Groupe Union Défense (GUD), an extreme-right student group that French authorities dissolved in 2024. The upcoming appellate trial will re-examine both the factual timeline of the shooting and the sentences imposed on the two men.
