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Dortmund's Tuchel hails arrest of bomb attack suspect

Iain Rogers
April 21, 2017

Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel has said the arrest of the man apparently responsible for this month's bomb attack on the team bus before a Champions League game could help players and staff overcome the trauma.

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Borussia Dortmund BVB - Hamburger SV HSV
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S.Matzke

"If the motive has been identified that would help us a great deal to process it," Tuchel said at a news conference previewing Dortmund's Bundesliga match at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.

He was speaking after authorities said on Friday they had arrested a 28-year-old German-Russian man suspected of carrying out the bus bombing on April 11 after he bet on a drop in the club's share price.

The man, identified only as Sergei W., had allegedly used a hotel room overlooking the bus' departure route to remotely detonate three devices placed in a hedge just after the vehicle pulled off on its way to Dortmund's stadium.

Deutschland Explosionen an BVB-Bus
The Dortmund team bus which was attackedImage: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kusch

Several bus windows were shattered, injuring defender Marc Bartra and a police officer on a motorbike.

Prosecutors said the suspect had bought so-called put options on the team's shares on the day of the attack, just prior to a Champions League match against AS Monaco that was postponed by one day.

"A significant drop in price could have been expected if, as a result of the attack, players had been seriously injured or even killed," prosecutors said.

Tuchel said that he personally had come to terms well with the attack but was reluctant to speak for his players and staff.

It was up to them to take enough time to process what had happened, he said.

"I am not prepared to place the usual demands on my players because some of them are not in as good shape as I am," Tuchel added. "Everyone has the right to deal with things at their own pace."

Champions League AS Monaco vs. Borussia Dortmund
Tuchel consoles Aubameyang after Champions League exitImage: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Thissen

Dortmund lost the rearranged quarterfinal, first leg against Monaco 3-2 and were beaten 3-1 in the return for a 6-3 aggregate reverse.

Tuchel said the psychological impact of the attack had put his team at a clear disadvantage.

“That was the decisive factor for Monaco,” he said. “We held our own against our opponent but they were playing with freedom.  Our team, on the other hand, were thrown completely out of their frame of reference.”

Dortmund are fourth in the Bundesliga, 10 points ahead of fifth-placed Hertha Berlin.