Investigation Begins After Germany’s Borussia Dortmund Bus Explodes, Injuring Defender Marc Bartra

The Office of the Attorney General of Germany has launched an investigation after three explosives hit a bus carrying the Bundesliga’s Borussia Dortmund team as it headed to its home stadium Tuesday night to play Monaco in a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal.

Investigation Into Borussia Dortmund Bus Explosion Begins, Islamic Suspect Detained

Only one player, 26-year-old Spanish defender Marc Bartra, was injured in the blast. Bartra, who hurt an arm and a hand, was treated for a broken radius — a bone in the forearm — and for “bits of debris lodged in his hand.” He will miss the first-leg quarterfinal against Monaco, which was postponed to Wednesday evening. Bartra was also reportedly undergoing surgery on his right wrist.

“We hope that he will make a speedy recovery,” Dortmund captain Marcel Schmelzer said on the team website. “The prevailing mood in the Black and Yellow camp seems to be to play the match tomorrow for Marc.”

The location of the blast was roughly 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Westfalenstadion, also known as Signal Iduna Park. The squad left its hotel around 7 pm local time (1 pm EST) for the Champions League game in Dortmund, a police spokesman stated.

The bus was transporting between 40 and 50 people, including the trainer and medical support staff. A preliminary probe revealed the explosives “could have been hidden in a hedge near a parking lot,” according to an update posted on the Dortmund police website.

Prosecutors Sandra Luecke added that investigators found, near the scene of the explosion, a handwritten letter that claimed responsibility for the attack. Luecke added that one explosive failed to go off.

Dortmund police chief Gregor Lange said authorities have not ruled out any potential motives for the attack, and a 25-year-old Iraqi suspect with Islamic ties has even been held in custody. A second suspect, a 28-year-old German, was also detained.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper said the handwritten letter that was discovered began with the phrase “in the name of Allah”.

Among the unharmed players on the bus was American midfielder Christian Pulisic, who plays for the U.S. Men’s National Team.

“[Coach] Thomas [Tuchel] was shocked, one of the explosions happened on his side [of the coach],” Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said.

“The team is in shock. It will not be easy to get those pictures out of your head. We hope the team is somehow capable to be competitive again tomorrow.”

Dortmund told fans to retain their tickets for the rearranged game on Wednesday, and asked travelling Monaco supporters to tweet “#bedforawayfans” if they needed to find lodging for the night.

Monaco said that all their fans staying in Dortmund for the night would be reimbursed up to €80 ($85) by the club.

Security outside Signal Iduna Park has now been increased for Wednesday’s game.

In a very classy move, Monaco fans began chanting “Dortmund! Dortmund!” at the stadium on Tuesday to express solidarity with the German team upon hearing the news:

Several soccer officials released statements on the explosion, and expressed their support for Dortmund.

Article by Pablo Mena