Borussia Dortmund bus attack suspect ‘was Islamic State fighter’

A man detained by police over a bomb attack on the Borussia Dortmund team bus is believed to have been an Islamic State fighter in Iraq, German prosecutors said. They have issued a formal arrest warrant for the 26-year-old Iraqi, who is currently in police custody after being detained on Wednesday following raids on two apartments. The suspect is believed to have led a 10-strong commando unit involved in killings, kidnappings, smuggling and extortion in Iraq.Identified as Abdul Beset A, he arrived in Germany via Turkey in early 2016, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement. However, authorities have so far found no evidence he was involved in Tuesday’s attack.

We love football, we suffer with football, we love football. I know we earn a lot of money and have a privileged life but we are human beings. There is so much more than football in this world and last night we felt it.

Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin

He is due before a judge who will decide whether to approve the arrest warrant, which will allow investigators to detain him for longer. Officers are still investigating three “serious explosive devices” which went off as the players and coaching staff left the L'Arrivee Hotel and Spa on the outskirts of Dortmund shortly before a match.The explosives, which they believe may have been hidden in a hedge near the car park, contained metal pins and had a range of 100m. One buried itself into a headrest on the coach. Spain international Marc Bartra underwent surgery for a broken bone in his hand after being injured by shattered glass from the coach’s windows. He has said he is “doing much better”. Prosecutors are also examining three identical letters claiming responsibility which were left at the scene of the blasts.

World