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Updated | Suspect arrested in Dortmund bus blast
Police have arrested a suspect after finding three letters containing a claim of responsibility for the Dortmund bus attack prior to Champions League game with Monaco
Borussia Dortmund's damaged bus is seen after an explosion some 10km away from the stadium prior to their Champions League match against Monaco
German authorities confirmed the arrest of a suspected Islamist extremist on Wednesday, in connection with an attack on a bus carrying players of one of the country's top soccer teams, a spokeswoman for the Federal Prosecutor's Office said.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at about 7.15pm local time in Dortmund’s Höchstem district, approximately 10km from the club’s stadium, where they were due to play a Champions League quarter-final against Monaco.
Police confirmed there were three explosions near the bus, breaking some of the vehicle’s windows. The explosives detonated minutes after Borussia Dortmund's team bus pulled away on Tuesday from the squad's hotel and headed for their quarter-final, first-leg, tie against Monaco.
The defender Marc Bartra was injured by shards of glass and was taken to hospital. He was due to undergo surgery on his injured arm to repair a fracture and remove shrapnel.
A fourth, undetonated device was found in the vicinity of the team hotel, a Dortmund police spokesperson said.
Federal prosecutor's office spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said the probe was examining a possible "terrorist link", after three identical letters were found at the scene.
"An Islamist background appears to be possible," she said, noting the letter demanded that Germany withdraw its deployment of Tornado reconnaissance missions in the anti-IS international coalition and close the US air base in the western German town of Ramstein.
"Two suspects from the Islamist spectrum have become the focus of our investigation. Both of their apartments were searched, and one of the two has been detained," she added.
Police had previously fallen short of describing the incident as an act of terrorism, saying that it is too early to determine the motive. Dortmund city's police chief described the assault as a "targeted attack" against the team.
The quarter-final match will now be played on Wednesday evening, just hours before another Champions League clash in Germany between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Germany has been on high alert since a series of terrorist attacks last year, including the Christmas market truck assault in Berlin in December that claimed 12 lives.
