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The team bus of Hertha Berlin was shot at by a motorcyclist just a day before their German Cup match against Arminia Bielefeld, according to The Guardian. No players were aboard the vehicle at the time of the incident, as it was being driven to collect the squad before their travel to Bielefeld for their DFB-Pokal first round fixture against the newly-promoted side.
The shooting was allegedly performed by a motorcyclist, who had overtaken the team bus and was threatening the driver with his fist. He pulled out a pistol when the vehicle approached a roundabout and fired a shot at the windscreen, although the attempt failed to penetrate the windscreen.
The club later tweeted pictures of a bullet hole that was lodged in the windscreen of the coach and made an official announcement that noone was hurt during the incident. They have appealed to eye-witnesses of the attack to come forward and reveal any information they have to the authorities, as official investigation into the matter begins.
Hertha Berlin manager Michael Preetz confirmed the attack, saying: "Our driver was going from the hotel to the train station at Bielefeld to collect the team. An unidentified person on a motorbike fired at the bus." according to The Mirror.
Police confirm they are investigating the incident
When asked about the motivation behind the attack, Preetz claimed that the whole incident was a ‘simply madness’.
"It was one shot but we cannot say what the motivation was," Preetz said, as reported in The Guardian.
"The bus driver immediately called the police and now the search is on for the culprit. This was an attack on life and limb and not a trivial matter. It's simply madness."
He went on to add that the type of firearm used during the shooting had not yet been determined.
The Bielefeld police released a statement on the morning of the DFB-Pokal match between Hertha Berlin and Arminia, confirming an investigation into the incident while appealing for witnesses to come forward.
"The investigation has so far revealed that the motorcyclist initially overtook the bus and shook his fist and showed 'the middle finger'," the statement read, as quoted on SBS.
"Then he turned the bike and shot from the oncoming traffic onto the windshield of the bus. The windshield was not penetrated. The bus driver was able to stop the bus safely. He was not injured."
