Bomb explosion forced champion league match to be postponed as player got injured
-O.S David
Following the three explosions that rocked the Borussia Dortmund bus, injuring Spanish international Marc Bartra, as the German team headed for a Champions League game against Monaco on Tuesday.
Bartra had a wrist surgery after being hit by flying glass and the quarterfinal match was postponed until Wednesday because of the attack. The club said the other Dortmund players were “shocked” but safe.
“We are assuming that they were a targeted attack against the Dortmund team,” said the western German city’s police chief Gregor Lange, adding however that it did not amount to an organised terror assault.
Local prosecutors also revealed that a letter has been found close to the site of the blasts, which struck shortly after the team bus drove off from the squad’s hotel
.
“Its authenticity is being verified,” prosecutor Sandra Luecke told journalists, without giving details on its contents.
The bus had set off for the Borussia stadium about 10 kilometres (six miles) away when “three explosive charges detonated,” said police.
The explosives, which went off shortly after 7.00pm (1700 GMT), were hidden in a hedge and were set off as the bus passed.
The blast shattered the bus windows and the vehicle was burned on the right hand side.
“The bus turned onto the main road, when there was a huge noise a big explosion,” Dortmund’s Swiss goalkeeper Roman Burki told Swiss media.
“After the bang, we all crouched down in the bus. Anyone who could, threw himself on the floor.
“We did not know if more would come.” Burki said Bartra was “hit by splinters of broken glass”.
Dortmund’s press spokesman confirmed the 26-year-old “will be operated on, he has broken the radius (bone) in his right wrist and there are foreign bodies in the arm”.
