Blasts hit Borussia Dortmund soccer team's bus, leaving player hurt

(REUTERS) Borussia Dortmund's team bus was attacked with explosives on Tuesday shortly before the start of their Champions League clash with AS Monaco, injuring defender Marc Bartra and forcing the match to be postponed by a day.

German police said on Tuesday they did not know who was behind the attack, in which three explosions went off at 7:15 p.m. near the hotel where the team was staying, but said the team appeared to be the target.

Prosecutors said a letter had been found near the scene of the blast, but declined to give details of its contents and said it was not clear whether it was authentic.

"At this time, it is still not clear what the real background to this act is," Dortmund police chief Gregor Lange told a late night news conference in the western German city.

Police earlier said there had been no risk to the Signal Iduna Park stadium, the largest in Germany, holding more than 80,000 fans, where the first leg of the quarter-final of Europe's top club soccer competition was due to have been played.

Lange said police assumed the team bus was deliberately targeted in the attack as it left the team hotel on the way to the stadium.

The devices were placed in a bush alongside the street, Bild newspaper reported, without giving a source. A police spokesman had earlier said "the explosive devices were placed outside the bus".

Windows on the bus were broken but the damage was limited.

Dortmund police said earlier on Twitter: "After the initial investigation, we assume that this was an attack using serious explosives."

While the motive was unclear, it revived memories of the November 2015 attacks in Paris that targeted entertainment venues including the Stade de France where France were playing Germany in a soccer friendly.

Football Soccer - Borussia Dortmund v AS Monaco - UEFA Champions League Quarter Final First Leg - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - 11/4/17 Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel is seen by the team bus after an explosion near their hotel before the game Reuters / Kai Pfaffenbach Livepic