On Friday, the Paris Assizes Court heard testimony from a prison guard who, in 2023, reported overhearing Loïk Le Priol on the phone saying, “What I liked best were the last four bastos I put in his buffet.” The defense cast doubt on the testimony by revealing that intelligence services had been closely monitoring Le Priol, labeling him a far-right terrorist.
On May 22, 2023, a year after Federico Martín Aramburu was shot dead in the early hours of March 19, 2022, on Boulevard Saint-Germain, a guard at Fleury-Mérogis prison made his night rounds. Reaching the cell of the main defendant, Loïk Le Priol, he peered through the spyhole. Le Priol sat by the window, wearing an earpiece, on the phone. The guard listened and overheard a reference to a court appointment, a claim that the inmate had successfully mapped the prison, and the phrase he later recorded: “What I liked best were the last four bastos I put in his buffet.” The phrase leaked to the media, significantly tarnishing Le Priol’s image.
A Witness Who Forgets
The witness, absent on the trial‘s opening day, took the stand on Friday, September 18. He claimed to remember nothing. “It was during my night shift,” he explained. “I noted what I heard as best I could so it could impact the case.” He added he had “not much to say about Loïk Le Priol, except that he’s a calm and decent person.” His memory loss was so complete that Presiding Judge Franck Zientara read his own report back to him. The guard was firm: if he wrote it, it happened. He attributed his forgetfulness to regularly hearing worse and seeing no personal risk in this instance.
In his dock, Loïk Le Priol vigorously shook his head in silent protest. On the trial’s second day, he stated he would not have discussed an escape plan or confessed in a potentially bugged cell.
The judge expressed surprise at the guard’s amnesia. Given the media attention, was nothing discussed on the way to the trial with his colleague, also summoned? Did they not try to recall details or read the press? In the courtroom, the witness seemed the only one unaware of his report’s contents. Yet he appeared sincere and diligent, unsettling unlike others easily caught out.
The judge questioned him intensely. “By writing this, did you intend to harm Loïk Le Priol? Do you lie here? Are you exaggerating?” “It paints a different picture of his personality, don’t you think?” Franck Zientara pressed. The witness dodged, focusing on the terms “bastos” and “buffet” as common prison slang. He claimed to have heard “far crueler and more brutal” things.
Even Prosecutor Philippe Courroye, notably harsh with defendants, tested the witness. “Does what you recorded match exactly what you heard?” “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have written it.” “Do you confirm, under oath, that you did not write lies?” “I’m not a robot; everyone can make mistakes.”
Details That Don’t Add Up
Inconsistencies exist in his testimony. He claims hearing Loïk Le Priol discuss a court appointment on June 6, but it was July 6. He says Le Priol had an earpiece, yet none was found during the cell search. Nor were the alleged prison plans discovered. Phone records show he spoke with his partner and co-defendant, Lyson R. Their preceding texts were romantic. Why discuss the case with her then?
One considers the possibility of an orchestrated report. The defense’s theory led to citing a former cellmate of Loïk Le Priol on Friday afternoon. Marco, aged 24, shared the same high-security unit at Fleury-Mérogis in 2023 and 2024. Claiming to be a gardener from Normandy, he refuses to disclose his conviction. Calmly, he recounts being approached by prison intelligence in 2021 to gather information on organized crime, Islamism, and far-right terrorism.
In 2023, intelligence officers informed him of a “big fish” joining his unit: Loïk Le Priol. “They wanted me to ask about his handguns, views on a Kurdish center shooting in Paris (referring to a far-right attack on December 23, 2022, against Kurdish activists that left three dead and four injured), and whether he could talk about Mr.
Bouvier,” he explains. “Intelligence asked me to pressure Le Priol into giving me a cell phone because ‘he must not get out of prison.'” Meetings occurred every six weeks, recorded under false pretenses like “Lawyer Visit” or “Psych Appointment.” “They always wanted more, for me to harass Loïk Le Priol about his case, his political views, but I never asked; it’s none of my business.” The defense notes his claims are supported by emails to his mother and lawyer.
“Did you hear him take a stance on the case?” Attorney Nicolas Boehm asks. “It affected him personally; he was deeply upset and didn’t want to discuss it.” “Was he described as contemptuous?” “He’s nothing like the media portrayed. He was attentive, friendly. We played cards, soccer; he was never violent. I never saw malice in him.”
The defendant’s perspective would have been valuable, but the judge decided defendants would only speak from Friday evening until Tuesday. On Monday, the court hears from Lyson R. and Romain Bouvier. Loïk Le Priol is questioned on Tuesday. The verdict is expected on Friday.
Witness’s Past and Credibility Questioned
A witness who testified about Loïk Le Priol’s behavior in prison has faced scrutiny over his own background. According to an article published on Friday, the witness was previously convicted for involvement in a far-right extremist plot. This revelation raises questions about his credibility and potential biases in his testimony.
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