The trial of two men accused of murdering Federico Martín Aramburú, a former Argentine rugby international, is scheduled to begin in September 2026, four years after the shooting in Paris sparked accusations of a cover-up and exposed alleged complicity between far-right extremists and elements within the French police.
Aramburú, 42, was fatally shot on March 19, 2022, after intervening in an altercation involving two men allegedly harassing a person of color on a Parisian street. The incident occurred during the final days of the French presidential campaign, yet received remarkably little media attention at the time, a silence critics have characterized as politically motivated.
Loïk Le Priol, identified as one of the assailants, allegedly displayed a police armband during the initial assault on Aramburú and his companion. Following the initial attack, Le Priol and a second man, Bouvier, allegedly returned armed with a vehicle and fatally shot Aramburú.
The subsequent investigation revealed a series of troubling connections. Police discovered items bearing police insignia at Le Priol’s home, alongside a bust of Adolf Hitler, ten firearms, a police ballistic vest, and a German-language copy of Mein Kampf at the home of his accomplice, Bouvier.
Further investigation revealed that Le Priol had dined with a member of the Direction Régionale de Police Judiciaire (DRPJ), the regional division of the French judicial police, on the night of the shooting. Le Priol also had a prior criminal record, including a conviction for torture and barbarity against a fellow far-right activist, and had been prohibited from entering Paris due to a judicial order. He had also served in the military and was accused of assault during his time stationed in Djibouti.
The lack of initial public response from government officials, including the Minister of the Interior, drew criticism from Aramburú’s family and legal representatives. The family’s lawyer, Christophe Cariou-Martin, contrasted the muted response to Aramburú’s death with the recent outpouring of tributes and official recognition afforded to Quentin Deranque, a far-right activist who died in February 2026 following a violent assault in Lyon. Cariou-Martin publicly questioned why victims of far-right violence do not receive the same level of public mourning and media scrutiny.
The case has also drawn attention to alleged links between the assailants and the Rassemblement National (RN), the French far-right political party led by Marine Le Pen. Le Priol was reportedly connected to Julien Rochedy, a prominent far-right influencer, and the founders of the GUD, a violent, fascist-inspired youth organization, are known associates of Le Pen. Despite these connections, no formal investigation into the RN’s potential involvement has been launched.
Le Priol was apprehended not by French authorities, but at the Ukrainian border, where he was reportedly attempting to join the conflict. This raised further questions about potential complicity and how he was able to travel so far after allegedly committing a murder in Paris.
The trial in September 2026 is expected to shed further light on the circumstances surrounding Aramburú’s death and the alleged network of connections between far-right extremists and law enforcement officials.
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