Explosions hit German team’s bus

Dortmund player hurt, police say club was targeted

DORTMUND, GERMANY— Three explosions went off near the team bus of Borussia Dortmund, one of Germany’s top soccer clubs, as it set off for a Champions League quarter-final match on Tuesday evening. One of Dortmund’s players was injured.

Police said they were working on the assumption that the blasts were directed at the Dortmund team and caused by “serious explosive devices,” which may have been hidden in a hedge near a car park. The explosions happened as the team was departing its hotel for a first-leg match against Monaco. The game was called off shortly before kickoff and rescheduled for Wednesday.

A letter claiming responsibility was found near the site of the blasts, prosecutor Sandra Luecke told a late evening news conference. She said investigators are examining the authenticity of what was written in the letter. The case is being investigated as attempted homicide, Luecke said.

“We had to assume, and assumed right from the start, that this was a targeted attack against the team of Borussia Dortmund,” said Dortmund police Chief Gregor Lange.

There were three explosions near the Dortmund bus as the team left the L’Arrivee Hotel and Spa on the outskirts of the western city of Dortmund for the stadium, around 10 kilometres away, at 7:15 p.m. local time, police said. A window on the bus was damaged and Spanish defender Marc Bartra was injured. Club spokesperson Sascha Fligge said Bartra was operated on late Tuesday for a broken bone in his right wrist and to remove “foreign objects” from his arm.

Inside the stadium, supporters of Monaco chanted “Dortmund, Dortmund” in sympathy for the German side.