Borussia Dortmund bus bombing suspect admits attack but 'did not intend to kill'

A man suspected of bombing Borussia Dortmund football team bus last year had admitted he detonated explosives along its route, but says he did not intend to kill or injure anyone.

Sergej W, 28, told a court in Dortmund that he had not intended to kill anyone. He is a German of Russian origin. 

Dortmund defender Marc Bartra and a police officer were injured on 11 April, 2017, when three explosions hit the bus as it left a hotel in the city for a Champions League game against Monaco.

Prosecutors believe Sergei W gambled on the team's share price plunging.

Sergej has been charged with 28 counts of attempted murder, which he denies.

He told the court: "I deeply regret my behaviour". 

The bus attack saw Borussia Dortmund's Champions League quarter-final with AS Monaco rescheduled to a day later.

Police initially treated the bombing as a suspected terror attack by jihadists.

Three bombs packed with metal pins were hidden in a hedge and set off as the bus passed.

Sergej W was arrested 10 days later in Rottenburg, southern Germany and went on trial on 21 December.

He also stands accused of aiming to financially gain from the attack, having made a bet that the devastation would lead to the collapse of the club's share price in the aftermath of the attack.

He had placed his bet in the week before the attack. It is reckoned that if the share price had fallen to one euro, Sergei W could have made a profit of more than 500,000 euros, German media report.

Borussia Dortmund is the only German football team whose shares are traded on the stock market.

The accused, whose trial opened last month, faces a life sentence if found guilty of the charges.