Suspect arrested for Dortmund bus blasts; terror ruled out
German-Russian national motivated by financial greed, prosecutors say; bought shares for targeted soccer team and stood to profit from price drop
BERLIN (AP) — A 28-year-old German-Russian citizen was arrested Friday in Germany on suspicion of bombing the bus carrying the Borussia Dortmund soccer team in an attack last week that prosecutors alleged was motivated by financial greed.
A Dortmund player and a policeman were injured in the triple blasts last week as the bus was heading to the team’s stadium for a Champions League match against AS Monaco. Investigators found notes at the scene claiming responsibility in the name of Islamic extremists, but quickly doubted their authenticity.
Federal prosecutors said the suspect, identified only as Sergej W. in keeping with German privacy law, was arrested by a police tactical response team in the Tuebingen area early Friday.
The man faces charges of attempted murder, causing an explosion and serious bodily harm.
Prosecutors said they planned to make a statement later Friday, but revealed that the suspect had bought a large number of so-called put options for shares of Borussia Dortmund. These would have entitled him to sell the 15,000 shares at a predetermined price, which could have resulted in a substantial profit if their value had fallen in the meantime, prosecutors said.
“A significant share price drop could have been expected if a player had been seriously injured or even killed as a result of the attack,” they said.
The suspect had booked into the team’s hotel in Dortmund and placed three explosives, packed with shrapnel, along the route the bus would take to reach the stadium, prosecutors said.
“The explosive devices were detonated at the optimum time,” they said, noting that the team bus was equipped only with security glass and not reinforced glass. Several windows on the bus were shattered in the blasts, injuring defender Marc Bartra. A police officer accompanying the bus also suffered trauma from the blast.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.