Borussia Dortmund bus bomber sentenced to 14 years in prison

Following an 11-month trial, the bomber, known as Sergej W, was found guilty on 28 cases of attempted murder

Three pipe bombs were set off as Dortmund's bus passed by ahead of the side's Champions League quarter-final against Monaco (Getty)

The man who carried out last year’s bomb attack against the Borussia Dortmund team bus has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

The bomber, known only as Sergej W in line with German privacy rules, was found guilty of 28 counts of attempted murder and setting off an explosion.

Dortmund defender Marc Bartra and a police officer were injured when three homemade pipe bombs hit the team’s bus as it made its way to Westfalenstadion on 11 April 2017. The German club had been scheduled to play Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

The bombs were hidden in hedges by the roadside and exploded around an hour before kick-off.

Bartra, who was wounded by shards of glass from the shattered bus window, was subsequently taken to hospital and later ruled out for both legs of the quarter-final clash.

The initial line of inquiry suggested Isis had been behind the attack, due to letters found at the scene which claimed responsibility.

But the terrorist group’s involvement was later ruled out due to discrepancies found in the evidence. Additional claims of responsibility, supposedly from far-left and far-right groups, were also investigated and later dismissed.

On 21 April 2017, German police arrested Sergej W, a German-Russian national, on suspicion of having carried out the attack in order to collapse the club’s share price so he could profit from stock market speculation.

Tuesday’s verdict, which ended an 11-month trial that featured testimony from players and then-coach Thomas Tuchel, fell short of prosecutors’ call for a life sentence.

However, defence lawyers had argued that Sergej W should be convicted only of setting off an explosion and given a much lower sentence.

In January, the defendant testified that he carried out the attack but didn’t intend to kill or hurt anyone. The 29-year-old, a German citizen who came to the country from Russia at 13, told the court that he was trying to fake an attack and designed the explosives in such a way “that no harm to people could be expected.”