Germany arrests suspected perpetrator of Dortmund team bus attack: prosecutor
Suspect is a German-Russian national who had hoped to profit from drop in team's share prices after attack
German police on Friday arrested the suspected perpetrator of a bomb attack on Borussia Dortmund's team bus, the public prosecutor's office said, indicating his motive was financial and not terror-related.
Anti-terror police working on behalf of the federal prosecutor's office "have arrested a 28-year-old German-Russian national, Sergej W.," a statement said, indicating the suspect was hoping to profit from a drop in the football team's share price as a result of the attack.
Early suggestions that the attack had been linked to radical Islamist suspects were debunked by investigators, who said that letters found near the scene claiming the attack was done "in the name of Allah" may have been purposely left to mislead authorities as to the true motive.
After finding the letters, investigators had zeroed in on two suspects believed to belong to a large jihadist scene, issuing an arrest warrant for 26-year-old Iraqi national identified as Abdul Beset A. for alleged ties to the Islamic State group.
He was later cleared of involvement following a brief investigation.
The Borussia Dortmund team bus had set off for their home stadium when three explosive charges hidden in a nearby hedge were detonated as the bus passed.
The blast shattered the bus windows and the vehicle was burned on the right hand side.
Spanish international Marc Bartra underwent surgery on a broken wrist after he was hit by flying glass.
Germany has been on high alert since a series of jihadist attacks last year, including the Christmas market truck assault in Berlin in December that claimed 12 lives.
The German national team, which included some Dortmund players, was also in the Stade de France in Paris when jihadists attacked the French capital in November 2015, leaving 130 dead.
(Staff with AFP)