Three explosions rocked a bus carrying the Borussia Dortmund football team to the Champions League match on Tuesday night. Dortmund defender Marc Bartra was injured by pieces of broken glass. He underwent an operation and remained hospitalized. According to reports, Bartra was the only person injured in the explosion. Spectators in the Signal Iduna Park were held inside the stadium until it was safe to leave. The match is delayed for Wednesday due to security reasons.
Letters found near the place of the attack
Three copies of the letter taking credit for the attack were found near the place of the attack.
The letters indicate that the attacker has connections to the IS (Islamic State). The attackers demanded in the letter that Germany withdraw tornado jet fighters and close Ramstein airbase in Syria. Another letter was published online by a left-wing extremist group that doubts the authenticity. All the letters are being examined by prosecutors who have reasons to believe that there is a deliberate intention by attackers to mislead the investigation. There are no Arabic words in the letters, they are written entirely in german and there is no Isil symbol on them which is seen as unusual.
A possible terrorist attack
Police have focused on two Islamic Extremists and one of two suspects has been arrested.
He is being detained and the apartments of the two are being searched. Security expert Mikey Kay believes that despite the unsophisticated technical ability of the attack, it was planned accurately. The bomb contained metal shrapnel which caused additional damage. The shrapnel was found in head rests and in a punctured tire.
The detonator type and the selection of the explosive point to a possible Terrorist Attack.
Borussia Dortmund fans offered shelter to Monaco fans and the club used their official twitter account with the hashtag #bedforawayfans trying to find accommodation for those in need. Additional officers and security were deployed to key routes for the match and spectators were asked to come early to the match in case of additional security checks.
The stadium was searched with explosive-detecting dogs and armed police secured the stadium. Monaco won the match by a score of 3-2, and the second leg will be played on April 19. The question was raised of whether Dortmund players were in the right state of mind to play a match only 21 hours after the incident.
