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Letter Found After Bus Explosion Demands Germany Pull Back in Syria Letter Found After Bus Explosion Demands Germany Pull Back in Syria
(about 1 hour later)
BERLIN — The letter that was found after explosions damaged the team bus of one of Germany’s premier soccer squads called for the country to scale back its involvement in the Western military coalition in Syria, the authorities said on Wednesday. BERLIN — A letter that was found after explosions damaged the team bus of one of Germany’s premier soccer squads called for the country to scale back its involvement in the Western military coalition in Syria, the authorities said on Wednesday.
Frauke Köhler, a spokeswoman for Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office, also said that two people with an “Islamic background” had been taken into custody after the Borussia Dortmund team bus was attacked on Tuesday while en route to a Champions League match against AS Monaco. Frauke Köhler, a spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Germany, also said that two people with an “Islamist background” had been taken into custody after the Borussia Dortmund team bus was attacked Tuesday evening while traveling to a Champions League match against A.S. Monaco.
Ms. Köhler said the letter demanded that Germany withdraw its Tornado aircraft from the campaign in Syria, where they are used for reconnaissance and the Islamic State is under attack from a multinational coalition trying to push it out of its strongholds. The full text of the letter has not been publicly released. Ms. Köhler said the letter demanded that Germany withdraw its Tornado aircraft from the campaign in Syria, where they are used for reconnaissance and where the Islamic State is under attack from a multinational coalition trying to push it from its strongholds. The full text of the letter has not been released publicly.
The letter also demanded what it termed “the closure of the Ramstein air base,” Ms. Köhler said, a reference to the main air base for American and NATO forces in Germany. The letter also demanded what it termed “the closure of the Ramstein Air Base,” Ms. Köhler said, a reference to the main airport for American and NATO military forces in Germany.
The unusually specific set of demands came with no claim of responsibility, but it was being examined by experts in Islamic practices, Ms. Köhler said. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has taken charge of the investigation.The unusually specific set of demands came with no claim of responsibility, but it was being examined by experts in Islamic practices, Ms. Köhler said. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has taken charge of the investigation.
She provided no detail about the two people who had been taken into custody beyond saying that they were “from the Islamic spectrum,” and that the prosecutor would decide whether to apply for a warrant to keep at least one of them in detention. She provided no detail about the two people who had been taken into custody beyond saying that they were “from the Islamist spectrum,” and that the prosecutor would decide whether to apply for a warrant to keep at least one of them in detention.
Ms. Köhler also said there was a second document that had turned up on an internet site, linksunten.indymedia.org, hinting at a far-left background to the attack. However, she said, “There are considerable doubts about this claim.” German news media described that suspect as a 25-year-old Iraqi man who was detained in the town of Wuppertal, which is about 40 miles southwest of Dortmund. The other suspect is 28 and from Unna, just east of Dortmund, the German news agency DPA reported. Investigators searched the homes of both men, Ms. Kohler said.
Investigators suggested the blasts had a range of about 100 yards, she said, but they had not determined exactly what mechanism was used to detonate the devices or the kind of explosive used. She also said a second document had turned up on the website linksunten.indymedia.org hinting that a far-left group might be responsible for the attack. However, she said, “There are considerable doubts about this claim.”
The bus was “heavily damaged” in the explosion on Tuesday, she said, and a worse outcome had been narrowly avoided. One of the many pieces of metal that was said to be part of the explosive devices had lodged in the headrest of a seat on the bus, she said, but did not specify whether that seat had been occupied. Investigators had not determined exactly what type of detonator or what explosive was used, she said.
Her statements suggested a carefully planned attack on Europe’s most popular sport and a match between two of the Continent’s best teams, which would attract attention in the two biggest countries, Germany and France, which neighbors the tiny principality of Monaco. The bus was “heavily damaged” in the explosion on Tuesday, she said, and a more serious outcome had been narrowly avoided. A piece of metal said to be part of the explosive devices had lodged in the headrest of a seat on the bus, she said, but she did not specify whether that seat had been occupied.
One player was injured in the explosion on Tuesday, the Spanish defender Marc Bartra. He has had surgery on his right wrist and is said by team officials to be recovering. Her statements suggested a carefully planned attack on Europe’s most popular sport and a match between two of the Continent’s best teams, which would attract attention in its two biggest countries, Germany and France.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, an avowed soccer fan, condemned what she called the “repulsive act” committed on Tuesday evening. Against that, she said, the good will of supporters from both Dortmund and Monaco — Germans welcomed Monaco followers into their homes with the hashtag #bedforawayfans on Twitter — was “a clear signal against every sort of violence.” One player was injured in the explosion, the Spanish defender Marc Bartra. He has had surgery on his right wrist, and team officials said he was recovering.
The authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s biggest state, promised tight security when the match goes ahead on Wednesday night, less than 24 hours after it was scheduled to be played. Fans were advised not to bring backpacks to the Dortmund stadium, which is Germany’s largest and can hold more than 80,000 people, and to arrive early because of strict security checks. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, an avid soccer fan, condemned what she called the “repulsive act.” Balanced against that, she said, was the good will of supporters from both Dortmund and Monaco — Germans welcomed Monaco fans into their homes with the hashtag #bedforawayfans on Twitter — which she called “a clear signal against every sort of violence.”
The authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia, which includes Dortmund and is Germany’s biggest state, promised tight security when the match is played Wednesday night, less than 24 hours after it was originally scheduled. Fans were advised not to bring backpacks to the Dortmund stadium, which with a capacity of more than 80,000 people is Germany’s largest, and to arrive early because of strict security checks.