Federico Aramburu defendant claims self-defence at trial

Loik Le Priol, one of two far-right activists on trial in Paris over the 2022 killing of former Argentina rugby international Federico Martin Aramburu, acknowledged responsibility for Aramburu's death on Monday but said he acted in self-defence.

Aramburu, 42, was shot after a late-night dispute outside a Paris brasserie on March 19, 2022. Le Priol, 32, is charged with murder, while Romain Bouvier, 35, is charged with attempted murder. If convicted, they face up to life in prison.

Both defendants, former members of the now-dissolved far-right movement GUD, denied intending to kill Aramburu as the trial opened. Le Priol, a former commando suspected of firing the fatal shots, told the court that it would be for the Assize Court to decide whether his self-defence claim was legitimate.

Bouvier, who fired four shots and has pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon, said he had not meant to harm Aramburu.

Investigators say Aramburu had been at the brasserie with fellow rugby player Shaun Hegarty when an argument with Le Priol and Bouvier turned violent. According to the investigation, Bouvier shot at Aramburu after the two accused caught up with the rugby players in a vehicle, before Le Priol later arrived on foot and fired again, killing him. Witnesses reported hearing Le Priol say, "I'm going to kill him" and "We'll find them" after an earlier fight.

Aramburu's widow Maria attended Monday's proceedings. Supporters in the front row wore red scarves bearing the Argentine flag and the number 13, which Aramburu often wore on the pitch.

A verdict is expected on September 25. The trial has drawn calls for justice in Argentina, where members of the Pumas wore black T-shirts reading "Justice for Fede" before a match on Saturday.

Aramburu lived in Biarritz after retiring. He played club rugby for Perpignan, Biarritz and Dax in France and for the Glasgow Warriors, and earned 22 caps for Argentina from 2004 to 2009.

Le Priol and Bouvier were already under investigation at the time of the killing over the 2015 beating of a former GUD official. A court in 2022 sentenced them to prison terms over that case.