December 22 – A German-Russian of dual nationality suspected of trying to blow up the Borussia Dortmund team by detonating three bombs appeared in court on Thursday charged with 28 counts of attempted murder.
The team was heading from a nearby hotel to the club’s stadium for a Champions League match against Monaco on April 11 when the explosions went off, wounding Spanish defender Marc Bartra and delaying the match by 24 hours.
Letters left at the scene had initially suggested Islamist militants were behind the attack, but prosecutors later said the 28-year-old suspect, identified only as Sergei V., was motivated by greed gambling that the value of the club would drop in the aftermath of what was disguised as a terrorist attack.
“If several, or even all the BVB players had been badly injured or even killed, and if the club had then no longer been able to play in national and international rounds, there would have been a significantly negative effect on the value of BVB’s shares,” prosecutors said in the indictment.
But investigators said the bombs, concealed in a roadside hedge, were placed too high above the road to do any significant damage.
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