Le Pays De France - Suspect detained over Paris killing of rugby star Aramburu

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Suspect detained over Paris killing of rugby star Aramburu
Suspect detained over Paris killing of rugby star Aramburu

Suspect detained over Paris killing of rugby star Aramburu

A woman suspected of taking part in the killing of former Argentina rugby international Federico Aramburu in Paris was being questioned by police Monday after being arrested late Saturday, sources close to the inquiry said.

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The attack occurred in the chic Saint-Germain district on the Left Bank of the French capital where Aramburu and some friends were having burgers and about to call it a night at around 6:00 am (0500 GMT) on Saturday.

They got into a heated argument with another group of patrons at a cafe before being separated by bouncers, but the other group later returned in a car and fired several shots, one police source said.

The 24-year-old woman is suspected of driving the vehicle for two other men who opened fire, the source said.

Police are still searching for the other two suspects, another source close to the inquiry told AFP, one of whom is known for being a far-right activist.

Aramburu, 42, was a back who won 22 Argentina caps and played in the 2007 World Cup in France, scoring a try as the Pumas beat the hosts in the third-place playoff.

He played club rugby in France for Biarritz, Perpignan and Dax from 2004 to 2010, winning the top 14 twice with Biarritz and later sitting on the club's board of directors.

Since his retirement from sport, he had lived in Biarritz and worked for a tourism company.

"This heinous crime and his death have left his family and friends and beyond all, the world of rugby, stunned and in unspeakable pain," a lawyer for Aramburu's family, Yann Le Bras, said in a statement on Sunday.

(E.Beaufort--LPdF)