Bus bomber ‘wanted to rig soccer shares’
THE bombing of a German football team’s bus was not a terrorist act but a callous attempt to make £3.2million from a drop in the club’s share price, prosecutors believe.
Police arrested a 28-year-old man yesterday morning on suspicion of attacking Borussia Dortmund’s coach with three homemade pipe bombs as the team was driven to a Champions League match.
Identified only as Sergej W, he is accused of attempted murder, causing an explosion and serious bodily harm.
The suspect, who is a dual German and Russian national, had taken out a five-figure loan to bet on a drop in the club’s share value.
He hoped the April 11 attack would injure or kill key players 90 minutes before their match with AS Monaco kicked off in the German city.
Sergej W booked into the same hotel as the team and took a room from which he could see the bombs go off, it is claimed.
He detonated them using remote control and one player, Spaniard Marc Bartra, 26, suffered cuts and a broken wrist.
The match was postponed for a day and more serious injuries were only averted because the suspect put the second charge, by the middle of the vehicle, 3ft above ground – too high to cause major damage.
The bombs were packed with pieces of metal shrapnel designed to tear through the sides of the vehicle. One two-inch piece was found 250 yards from the bus.
Hours earlier Sergej W bought 15,000 put options, or contracts, for about £65,000. They gave him the right to sell Borussia Dortmund’s shares at a pre-determined price. He would have made about £3.2million from his actions, Bild newspaper reported.
‘If the shares of Borussia Dortmund had fallen massively, the profit would have been several times the initial investment,’ a spokesman for the Federal prosecutor’s office said.
Police initially thought the bombing was carried out by Islamic extremists after three letters were found near the attack site.