The 28-year-old man suspected of bombing the bus carrying the Borussia Dortmund football team to their match at home against AS Monaco last April did it for financial reasons, a court in Dormund was told.
The German-Russian man, identified as Sergei W., admitted on Monday that he had staged the bomb attack on the team bus but said he had done so only as part of a money-making scheme and not to harm or kill anyone. He has been charged with 28 counts of attempted murder for detonating the roadside bombs.
He admitted to the court that he planned to reap profit when the club’s share price dropped after the attack, in which the club’s Spanish defender, Marc Bartra, was wounded. The match was delayed by a day.
Facing life imprisonment if convicted, the accused has said he deeply regrets his actions. He had bought about €44,000 worth of options on the day of the attack, which he planned to sell at a profit when the share price dropped.