This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/world/europe/borussia-dortmund-explosion-bus-germany.html
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Letter Found After Attack on Soccer Team Bus Demands German Pullback in Syria | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 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. | 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 the Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Germany, also said that two people with an “Islamist background” had been taken into custody after an attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus Tuesday evening when the team was traveling to its home stadium for a Champions League match against A.S. Monaco. | |
| The game was postponed and kicked off Wednesday night at a packed stadium in Dortmund under tightened security. | |
| 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. | 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 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 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 letter, which the German media said was written in slightly awkward, non-native German, blamed Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany for taking part in actions against Islamists and demanded an end to attacks. | |
| “From this point on,” it said, “all nonbelieving actors, singers, sports people and other prominent people in Germany and other crusader nations are on the death list of the Islamic State. And that as long as the following demands are not met: Tornados out of Syria. Ramstein Air Base must be closed.” | |
| The unusually specific set of demands came with no claim of responsibility, but it was being examined by experts, 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, 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 Islamist 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. |
| 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. Köhler said. | 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. Köhler said. |
| 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.” | 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.” |
| Investigators had not determined exactly what type of detonator or what explosive was used, she said. | Investigators had not determined exactly what type of detonator or what explosive was used, she said. |
| The bus was “heavily damaged” in the explosion on Tuesday, according to Ms. Köhler, 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. | |
| 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. | 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. |
| “Football has a big fascination, and that is why it also exerts a temptation on terrorists, to abuse that effect,” Thomas de Maizière, Germany’s interior minister and the country’s most senior security official, told reporters at the stadium. “People will have to get used to discomforts, he added, “but not to the abolition of the freedom we would relinquish if we call off everything.” | |
| The minister did not refer specifically to threats against entertainers and sports figures in Germany. But his remarks were seen as an allusion to what the news weekly Der Spiegel said was a threat in the letter found Tuesday to place prominent people from Germany and other nations crusading against Islamism on a “death list” compiled by Islamic State. | The minister did not refer specifically to threats against entertainers and sports figures in Germany. But his remarks were seen as an allusion to what the news weekly Der Spiegel said was a threat in the letter found Tuesday to place prominent people from Germany and other nations crusading against Islamism on a “death list” compiled by Islamic State. |
| One player was injured in Tuesday’s explosion, the Spanish defender Marc Bartra. He has had surgery on his right wrist, and team officials said he was recovering. | One player was injured in Tuesday’s explosion, the Spanish defender Marc Bartra. He has had surgery on his right wrist, and team officials said he was recovering. |
| Chancellor Merkel, 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 is Germany’s biggest state and includes Dortmund, promised tight security Wednesday night. Soccer fans were advised not to bring backpacks to the stadium, which is Germany’s largest with a capacity of more than 80,000 people, and to arrive early because of strict security checks. | |
| Wednesday’s match began less than 24 hours after the explosion — a tight reshuffle dictated by a crowded international soccer calendar at this time of year. Dortmund’s fans, known for their boisterous singing and extreme devotion to the team, welcomed their squad to the field with a rousing version of the song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Politicians filled the V.I.P. stands to highlight the message that terrorism will not get the better of ordinary Germans. | |
| After a tentative start, Dortmund ended the first half behind by a score of 2-0. . The home team was especially spirited in the second half, but failed to close the gap, finally losing, 3-2, to Monaco. | |
| Security was also tightened significantly at two other Champions League matches on Wednesday: in Munich, where Bayern Munich played Real Madrid, and in Madrid, where Atlético Madrid was host to Leicester City. |