The main suspect in the death on Saturday in Paris of ex-rugby player Federico Martin Aramburu was arrested last night in Hungary, AFP learned from sources close to the case confirmed by the Paris prosecutor’s office. Information confirmed by the Police-Justice service of Europe 1. Loïk Le Priol, 27, a former soldier and member of the ultra-right movement GUD, is suspected of having shot the former player who died on the spot. , early Saturday morning. He was intercepted by car in Záhony, heading for Ukraine with inside a bulletproof vest and a helmet.
The accused will be handed over to the French authorities
A European arrest warrant had been issued against him. He should be handed over to the French authorities in the coming days, a close source added. Another man, also active in the ultra-right, who also allegedly shot the ex-rugby player, is still wanted.
On Tuesday, a young woman, aged 24, suspected of having driven the car, a jeep belonging to Loïk Le Priol, was indicted for “complicity in murder” and placed in pre-trial detention. The two men allegedly shot the former Argentinian international, shot dead after an altercation in a bar in Saint-Germain-des-Près, Le Mabillon.
Bullet marks found at the scene of the murder
The facts took place around 6 a.m. on boulevard Saint-Germain in the chic 6th arrondissement of Paris, after a “dispute” between two groups of people at the bar Le Mabillon, police sources told AFP. The groups were separated by bouncers, one of these sources added, but the suspects “returned shortly afterwards with a vehicle and fired shots”.
“Several impacts” of bullets were noted on the spot, added a source close to the investigation and the sportsman died on the spot as a result of his injuries. The investigation is led by the criminal brigade.
An accused known for his violence
Loïk Le Priol, known for his radicalism and violence, is due to appear in June for “aggravated violence” against a member of the GUD, whom he is suspected of having beaten and humiliated with four other members of this ultra-right movement. Trained at the French Navy’s foam school in Brest, he was assigned to the Montfort marine commando with which he took part in several external operations in Mali and Djibouti between 2013 and 2015. Repatriated to France in July 2015 for reasons medical conditions (post-traumatic stress disorder), he was then dismissed from the army because of his violent behavior.
The former soldier then converted to ready-to-wear, launching in 2016 a clothing line popular with ultra-right activists, “Babtou Solide – certified” – toubab upside down, name given in Africa to Europeans, to whites. Identity YouTubers like Baptiste Marchais and Julien Rochedy had posed with these T-shirts. On social networks, Loïk Le Priol has posted many photos of him driving his jeep, a Willys, with his identity friends.
The rugby world’s tribute to Federico Martin Aramburu
Federico Martin Aramburu, born in 1980, former center or winger for Biarritz (2004-2006), Perpignan (2006-2008) or Dax (2008-2010), had 22 selections with Argentina. The former three-quarter center or winger had notably started in the match for third place in the 2007 World Cup, won by the Argentines against the Blues (34-17), a meeting during which he scored a try .
Since retiring from sport, he lived in Biarritz and worked for a tourism company. The world of rugby paid him many tributes. Through the voice of their lawyer Me Yann Le Bras, his relatives called to let the police work calmly. “For the family and his many friends, this March 19 has turned into an absolute nightmare. This heinous crime and his death leave each of them and beyond all the world of rugby stunned in unspeakable pain”, he had written in a message sent to AFP on Sunday.