January 30 – Marc Bartra, Borussia Dortmund’s Spanish defender injured when the team bus was bombed last April, says he is lucky to be alive.
Bartra testified on Monday as a witness in the trial of a man identified only as Sergei W, a German-Russian suspected of detonating three bombs in a bizarre attempt to devalue the club on the stock market in a ploy to make hundreds of thousands of euros.
Bartra, 27, suffered a fractured wrist and was in hospital for five “terrible” days, read a statement from his lawyer. “I was afraid I would never see my family again. I still haven’t fully got over the attack and continue to suffer. The attack changed my life. I’m happy to be alive.”
The Borussia Dortmund team had been leaving their hotel on April 11 for a Champions League match against Monaco when three remotely activated explosive devices, hidden in a hedge, shattered the bus’s windows injuring Bartra and a police officer.
The game was postponed for 24 hours with police initially fearing a terrorist attack. They later arrested the suspect who was staying in the same hotel as the players, had a view of where the bombs went off and had bet on a falling share price on the day of the attack.
He is charged with 28 counts of attempted murder, as well as setting off explosions and causing serious bodily harm. He has said that he did not intend to kill or hurt anyone but if found guilty he faces a life sentence.
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