Blasts hit Borussia Dortmund team bus ahead of Champions League quarterfinal

The bombing of the bus carrying the Borussia Dortmund football club to their Champions League quarterfinal tie against Monaco in Germany was not believed to be an act of terrorism, authorities say.
German police have revealed they discovered a letter near the hotel where the bus was attacked as it departed for the stadium at the German club's home ground, Signal Iduna Park.
They have not disclosed the details of the letter other than to say it claimed responsibility for the attack at 7.15pm Tuesday (NZT 5.15am Wednesday). They believed the attack was not terror-related.

Kai Pfaffenbach/ Reuters
A police forensics expert photographs the scene of the explosion at the Dortmund hotel.

Police said the attack involved "serious explosive devices" likely hidden in a hedge by the hotel's exit.
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Kai Pfaffenbach/ Reuters
The Borussia Dortmund bus took the impact of an explosion at its rear.

The explosives were detonated as the football team's bus departed the hotel with the blast's impact striking the rear of the vehicle, shattering windows and injuring player Marc Bartra.
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Buerki said the team was in shock following the attack.
"There was a huge bang, literally an explosion," Swiss international Buerki said of the attack that left Spanish international Bartra injured.

Kai Pfaffenbach/ Reuters
The impact of the blast struck the rear of the bus.

"We're all shocked. Nobody thought about a football match in the minutes after that," Buerki told Swiss news outlet Blick.
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The bus turned into the main street, when there was a huge boom, a real explosion," Sky News quoted Buerki as saying.

Bobby Yip/ Reuters
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Buerki was sitting in the back row of the team bus when it was attacked.

"I was sitting in the back row next to Marc Bartra, hit by fragments ... after the bang, we all ducked."
Buerki said Bartra was hit by shards of glass from the back window that broke in the explosion.
Bartra was taken to hospital. The extent of the 26-year-old's injuries was not known. He joined Dortmund from Spanish club Barcelona last year in an €8-million (NZ$12m) deal.

GETTY IMAGES
Reports from Germany said the injured player was Marc Bartra (C).

The explosives used in the attack were hidden near the exit of the team's hotel and detonated as the bus drove by, club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said after a briefing from German police.
Police said the hiding place for the "serious explosives" may have been a bush.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas expressed support for Borussia Dortmund on Twitter.

Christof Koepsel/ Getty Images
Borussia Dortmund fans waiting for the Champions League quarterfinal against Monaco at Signal Iduna Park were told of the explosions in a message on the electronic scoreboard.

"Shocking news. Our thoughts are with (Borussia Dortmund). You'll never walk alone!"
PACKED STADIUM
At the time of the attack thousands of fans had already arrived at Signal Iduna Park in anticipation of the match. The stadium has a crowd capacity of 80,000.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/ Getty Images
Emotions at Signal Iduna Park were raw for fans as news broke that Borussia Dortmund's team bus had been attacked.

News of the attack was broadcast on the stadium's big screen and many fans in the stands could be seen on their cell phones reading news reports.
A stadium spokesman told them "there is no reason for panic here at the stadium".
Supporters of Monaco, which plays in the French league, chanted "Dortmund, Dortmund" in sympathy for their German rivals.

Christof Koepsel/ Getty Images
Borussia Dortmund fans waiting for the Champions League quarterfinal against Monaco check for news of the explosions.

The match was postponed until Wednesday (NZT Thursday) and club boss Watzke said the team would now have a hard time preparing for it.
"It's our task now to digest this somehow because it's only 24 hours before we have to play. That's our job."
AS Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic told Croatian news outlet 24sata: "We are currently in the stadium, in a safe place, but the feeling's horrible."

Ralph Orlowski/ Reuters
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said it would not be easy for his team to prepare for their postponed quarterfinal following the attack.

Dortmund residents were forthcoming in offering support to Monaco supporters. They were using social media to offer accommodation to stranded fans so they could stay the extra day to watch the match.
Germany has seen matches postponed over security concerns before.
In Hannover, in November 2015, Germany's international football friendly against the Netherlands was cancelled just before kickoff after police feared an explosive device might be detonated at the stadium.
The Champions League clash between Borussia Dortmund and Monaco will be their first competitive match.
It came days after devices were detonated outside the Stade de France in Paris as France was playing Germany as part of a coordinated attack on the French capital.
- Agencies