What We Know So Far About The Explosion Near Borussia Dortmund’s Team Bus

By James Bridget Gordon  |  April 11, 2017 | 2:49pm
Photo by Sascha Steinbach/Getty
Soccer News
What We Know So Far About The Explosion Near Borussia Dortmund’s Team Bus

This is a developing story and we’ll post updates as they come in. As with any breaking news story, news outlets will get early details wrong and we’ll do our best not to spread any misinformation.

With that out of the way, here’s what we know so far.

While en route to the Westfalenstadion for their Champions League Quarterfinal tie against Monaco, Borussia Dortmund’s team bus was hit by an explosion. The incident happened near the hotel where the team were staying. We do not know yet what the source of the explosion is. We also do not know whether the explosion occurred on the bus or near it.

The club is reporting that one person has been injured. They have not said who the injured person is, although Bild is reporting that the individual in question is defender Marc Bartra.

The explosion shattered windows on the bus, according to police on the scene.

Fans at the Westfalenstadion were asked to remain calm and to not leave the stadium while emergency crews work to secure the area.

At press time, the match with Monaco has been postponed. Kickoff has been rescheduled for 12:45pm Eastern tomorrow.

Once again, this is a developing story and we will provide updates as they emerged and are confirmed.

UPDATE 1: The club has confirmed that Marc Bartra was the injured player in question.

Meanwhile, police have confirmed that there were three explosions near the team bus. They have also said that there does not appear to be an immediate threat in the vicinity of the stadium.

Inside the Westfalenstadion, Monaco fans are singing in solidarity with Dortmund supporters.

UPDATE 2: Dortmund fans are reaching out to travelling Monaco supporters in an effort to provide overnight lodging so they can attend the rescheduled match tomorrow.

UPDATE 3: Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki was sitting next to Marc Bartra on the bus. Here’s what he had to say:

“The bus turned on the main road when there was suddenly a huge bang – a proper explosion. The police were quickly on the spot and handled the situation. We were all in shock and no one was thinking about football anymore. I was sat next to Marc Bartra on the back row of the coach and he was injured because of the broken window. After the bang, we all ducked and those who could lay on the floor did so. We didn’t know what else would happen.”

UPDATE 4: Bartra is currently undergoing surgery to repair a broken wrist.

UPDATE 5: Dortmund police have released a few more key details.

– The explosions were caused by bombs, confirming that this was a deliberate attack.

– The police currently believe the team was in fact the target of the attack.

– Authorities are currently in possession of what they believe is a letter from an unidentified suspect claiming responsibility for the attack. Police are still working to confirm the letter’s authenticity and have released no further details at this time.

 
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