German Football Team Targeted By Explosives. Who Is Behind The Attack?

Nina Gabriel

April 13, 2017

While the German football squad was en route to its home Champions League semi-final match, three explosive devices were hurled consecutively at the Borussia Dortmund team bus on April 11, 2017, injuring a player and shattering the windows of the bus.

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The injured player was identified as 26-year-old Spanish defender Marc Bartra.

One explosive device failed to explode.

Investigators said that it was "targeted attack." The Police did not rule out other possible motives behind the attack. Dortmund Police Chief Gregor Lange said that the Champions League game against Monaco has been the postponed until the night of April 1

While the investigations are still on, we can take a look at the events pre and post the attack.
Prosecutor Sandra Luecke said that the Police found a handwritten letter claiming responsibility for the attack.
However, the details of the content of the attack are still unknown.

Bartra, who sustained injuries in the attack, is undergoing surgery for the broken radius, which is a bone in the forearm.

There are bits of debris of the explosives that have penetrated his hand.
Dortmund Captain Marcel Schmelzer said, "We hope that he will make a speedy recovery."

According to the details provided by the Dortmund Police spokesman, the team had left the hotel around 7:00 p.m. local for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League quarterfinals match.

At least 40 to 50 people were on board the bus.
These included the players, trainer and medical staff.

A preliminary investigation of the attack indicates that the explosives "could have been hidden in a hedge near a parking lot," read a post on Dortmund police website.

As speculations are rife, there are suggestions the left-wing extremists were behind the targeted attack.

The anti-fascists, also known as Antifa, are suspected to be involved in the attack on the soccer team. The targets of the far-left Antifa are the Neo-Nazis and right-wing populists. Why they attack the Borussia Dortmund team, is still not known.

The left-wing extremists in the region have engaged in incidents of intimidation and violence against the people who endorse far-right views.
They start with threats and blackmail.
If these two methods fail to deliver the desired results, the Antifa indulge in violence.

Amidst the speculation of the identity of the perpetrators and the increasing pressure of the game that has been postponed till tonight, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke while talking to CNN, said:

"Our task now is to process this because in less than 24 hours we need to play." "That's our job.
There is no alternative.
It's an unlucky situation but there is no other solution." The Police said that nobody inside the stadium was in danger.

Reacting to the horrific incident, Aleksander Čeferin, President of UEFA, which is a European Soccer's Governing Body, in a statement condemned the attack and said:

"I was deeply disturbed by the explosions which occurred tonight in Dortmund.

The decision taken to postpone the UEFA Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco was the correct one since we must always prioritize the safety and security of all fans, team officials and players."

In addition to the sports officials condemning the attack, the fans too have showed concern for the player injured and the incident. The international governing body of Football, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), too, sent its rega

Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA while expressing his thoughts, said, "The thoughts of every one of us at FIFA are with the people of Dortmund, and the fans of both Borussia Dortmund and Monaco following today's troubling events."

Borussia Dortmund is one of the most successful and oldest teams of Germany founded on December 19, 1909, almost 107 years ago. Rich with sport, the city of Dortmund also has a national museum, made up of concrete-and-glass, which is dedicated to the spor

While the investigations are underway to find the perpetrators of the attack on Borussia Dortmund team, let us hope that the match that is scheduled for tonight takes off without any further hurdles.

However, the pressure to perform will demand extra effort from the players, who are both shocked with the incident.
As the ground opens today, the players need to refresh themselves by forgetting the events of yesterday.