‘Islamist’ held in German blasts
Roadside blasts injured Dortmund’s Spanish player, policeman
German investigators on Wednesday detained an Islamist suspect over three explosions that rocked Borussia Dortmund’s team bus, prosecutors said, confirming that the probe was examining a possible “terrorist link”.
The roadside blasts left Dortmund’s Spanish international Marc Bartra and a policeman injured, with the bombs “containing metal pieces” detonating minutes after the team bus set off to a planned Champions League game against Monaco on Tuesday night.
The blast had a radius of more than 100 metres, federal prosecutors said, adding it was lucky the toll was not more severe.
The match was put back to Wednesday as security was ratcheted up around Dortmund and in Munich where Bayern Munich will take on Real Madrid. But a defiant Dortmund vowed not to “give in to terror”, with players returning to the pitch for training.
Extra forces were deployed around team hotels and their buses will take designated safe routes to the stadiums. UEFA said “security procedures will be enhanced accordingly wherever needed”.
Federal prosecutor’s office spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said the probe was examining a possible “terrorist link”, after three identical letters were found at the scene. “An Islamist background appears to be possible,” she said, noting the letter demanded that Germany withdraw its deployment of Tornado reconnaissance missions in the antiISIS international coalition and close the US air base in Ramstein. “Two suspects from the Islamist spectrum have become the focus of our investigation,” she added. Local media identified them as a 25-year-old Iraqi and a 28year-old German.