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Crime

Borussia Dortmund suspect may have planned more attacks

November 6, 2017

German prosecutors believe the suspect in the bombing of the Borussia Dortmund team bus also researched other potential targets, according to Der Spiegel. A picture of a cold-blooded criminal is beginning to emerge.

https://p.dw.com/p/2n80b
Broken window of Dortmund team bus
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/I. Fassbender

Sergej W. could face 28 counts of attempted murder for the three blasts targeting the bus carrying soccer team Borussia Dortmund to a Champions League fixture in April this year.

The case made headlines around the world. German prosecutors now believe he might have considered other potential targets as well, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported on Monday.

Read more: Dortmund's Kagawa opens up about bus attack

Investigators believe that the man acted out of greed, planning to use the attack to bring down the value of the club's shares. Police say the man took out a five-figure loan to bet against the club's stock.

According to the suspect's internet history, he looked into several other companies ahead of the blast, including a range of cable car operators and the value of their stocks.

This behavior indicates that he "looked for a new target to win money with the stocks losing value," prosecutors say in the 43-page indictment, Der Spiegel reports. The court has yet to decide on accepting the text of the indictment.

What happened in the attack

- A series of explosions hit the bus taking Borussia Dortmund players to a home match against Monaco 

- Dortmund defender Marc Bartra and a policeman were injured in the blasts

- The only reason that there were no further casualties, according to the officials, is that the defendant made a mistake when placing one of the shrapnel-loaded charges

- A letter linking the blasts with the "Islamic State" group was allegedly placed by the accused, but this was quickly disputed as a false lead by the authorities.

The suspect has denied responsibility for the attack.

Editor's note: Deutsche Welle follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.

Dortmund bus explosion injures team athlete

dj/rt (AFP, SID)