Borussia Dortmund Bus Attack Suspect Convicted of Attempted Murder
November 27, 2018
The man charged with carrying out an attack on a bus carrying German soccer club Borussia Dortmund in April 2017 was convicted on 28 counts of attempted murder Tuesday.
The Associated Press reported the man, only identified as Sergej W. because of Germany's privacy laws, was sentenced to 14 years in prison by the Dortmund state court.
Prosecutors alleged during the 11-month trial that Sergej W. placed a bet that BVB shares, which are available for public trading on the stock exchange in Germany, would fall and then bombed the bus under the guise of Islamic terrorism, according to the AP.
Former Dortmund centre-back Marc Bartra, who completed a move to La Liga club Real Betis in Spain during the 2018 January transfer window, was injured in the attack. He missed more than five weeks of action while recovering from a fractured wrist.
Upon his return last May, he told reporters, "I've suffered so much through this negative experience."
The AP noted prosecutors sought a life sentence in the case, but Sergej W., a German citizen born in Russia, said in court that he designed the explosives with hope "that no harm to people could be expected."
