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What's the story?
Last season saw Borussia Dortmund players and staff escape with their lives after the team bus was damaged in a bomb explosion when they were on their way to the stadium for a Champions League encounter with AS Monaco.
Today, the culprit who was apprehended has admitted to the charges leveled against him and pleaded guilty, according to ESPN.
The bomber, known as Sergej W, explained that the sole reason he went ahead with the attack was so he could make a profit when the club's shares eventually dropped.
"I deeply regret my behaviour," he said. "I can't explain to myself what I did there.
"I did not want to injure any people, and I did not want to kill anyone. I only wanted to feign a severe attack. I only wanted Borussia Dortmund to crash out of the Champions League."
Also read: Police charge suspect with Dortmund bus attack, allege financial motivation
In case you didn't know...
In April 2017, the Borussia Dortmund bus was rocked by three explosions as it made its way to Signal Iduna Park for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.
Spanish defender Marc Bartra suffered a broken wrist as a result of the blasts and he had to undergo surgery to remove debris from his arm. Although the other players escaped relatively unhurt, they did suffer from post-traumatic stress, according to Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke.
A police officer on a motorcycle that was travelling next to the bus had also suffered an ear injury. The match was rescheduled for the next day and that was a move that also drew flak from all quarters as a visibly shattered Dortmund were eventually knocked out on aggregate.
Also read: UEFA display shocking callousness as Dortmund are forced to play 24 hours after attack on team bus
The heart of the matter
Sergej, a German citizen born in Russia, was charged with causing explosions, 28 counts of attempted murder, and also two counts of bodily harm.
At the time, he had tried to pass it off as a terrorist attack perpetrated by Islamic extremists by placing a confession letter at the scene of the crime. But investigative agencies had ruled out a terrorist attack and suspected it was carried out by one man.
The lawyers claimed that the attack had been planned in early 2017.
Video: Sergej produced in court for his trial
