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‘Attack with serious explosives’: police on blasts at Borussia Dortmund team bus ‘Serious explosives’ used in Dortmund team bus blasts, no terrorism link yet – police
(about 2 hours later)
One person was injured after triple blasts near the bus of the German football team Borussia Dortmund as it set off for their home Champions League quarterfinal game. Police said preliminary reports point to an “attack with serious explosives.” A letter reportedly claiming responsibility for the explosions that went off near the Borussia Dortmund team bus as it transported players to a Champions League quarter-final game is being examined by police, who are so far reluctant to link the incident with terrorism.
The early results of the field investigation gave police a reason to believe it was “an attack, in which serious explosives were used,” police said in a statement. Police have also examined the scene of the blast using drones to make sure that no more explosive devices were left hidden in the area. The German football team’s quarter-final clash with Monaco had to be abandoned on Tuesday after “an attack, in which serious explosives were used” occurred between Schirrmannweg and Wittbrauckerstrasse in Dortmund around 7 pm local time. 
The club said in a twitter post that there was “a bomb blast”  close to the team bus, adding that the team players are now “in safety” and “no threat is posed to the stadium,” where the quarterfinal was due to take place. According to German police, three explosives may have been hidden in a hedge close to the official Dortmund team bus. 
“We can confirm that there were three explosions near the Borussia team bus,” police announced earlier.  Borussia Dortmund has since confirmed that Spanish center back Marc Bartra suffered minor injuries to his right wrist, with the club wishing him a “fast recovery”. 
Large police forces have been deployed to the scene, the law enforcement added.  Earlier, the Bundesliga team tweeted that a “bomb blast” had gone off close to the team bus, adding that the players had been taken to safety, while “no threat is posed” to the Westfalenstadion pitch. 
The wheel rims of the bus were destroyed by the blast and one person was injured, police announced.  In an update on the investigation, Dortmund police chief Gregor Lange said a motive for the attack has not yet been established. Meanwhile, a letter found near the bus is being examined by police.
According to the Borussia Dortmund CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, the three explosive devices were hidden in a nearby leafy hedge. “The risk of a terrorist attack is not new today,” Lange told a press conference on Tuesday night, reported Reuters.
“As [the bus with] the team has moved off from the hotel, the three explosive devices hidden in a verdant hedge were somehow detonated. The explosion particularly damaged the bus,” he told journalists at Dortmund’s stadium, where the quarterfinal match should have taken place, as reported by Focus. “We have been preparing for this for a long time. I do not want to suggest that this was a terrorist attack. All that is still being investigated. We want to be careful. It is being investigated very professionally.”
Borussia confirmed that the person who was wounded in the explosion was the Dortmund player Marc Bartra who was hospitalized as a result. According to the Associated Press, a German prosecutor said the recently uncovered letter “takes responsibility”for the blasts, although it is not yet known if the document is genuine.  
The incident occurred around 19:00 (local time) (18:00 GMT) ahead of the team’s Champion League quarterfinal game against AS Monaco.  The Champions League quarter-final is set to take place on Wednesday, April 12, with Borussia Dortmund encouraging Monaco fans stranded in the city to use the Twitter hashtag #bedforawayfans. 
The quarterfinal was postponed because of the incident and rescheduled for Wednesday, April 12, the club said on Twitter.
The motives behind the incident remain unclear, police said, adding they are considering various scenarios ranging from terrorist activities to an assault prepared by some rival fans.