All the players are safe, in shock, but thankfully safe after Borussia Dortmund's team bus was hit by three explosions, while they were on their way to play the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Monaco in Germany.
The explosions took place at around 7.15pm local time (10.45pm IST), and, understandably, the match was postponed to Wednesday.
German police confirmed there were three separate explosives that were reportedly planted near the Dortmund team hotel. A fourth, undetonated one, was found near the team hotel. The explosives, which were hidden behind a hedge, were kept at a turning, in a place where the Dortmund bus would have had to slow down.
"We will be working throughout the night to discover who was behind this attack," police spokesman Gunnar Wortmann said. "All police and vehicles in Dortmund have been mobilised.
"Three explosions detonating at the exact moment the bus passed by suggests a sophisticated expertise in both bomb building and detonation, perhaps using a mobile phone or a garage door-opening device."
The explosions caused some of the bus windows to break, but, much to everyone's relief, there was no serious injury to anybody.
Marc Bartra, Borussia Dortmund's Spanish defender, suffered injuries to his arm. Initially, they were only thought to be superficial cuts, but it was later confirmed that there was shrapnel lodged in his arm and he would have to undergo surgery to fix a fracture.
"Bartra was injured, on his hand and his arm, but nothing that would be life-threatening," Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hanz-Joachim Watzke said.
A letter, claiming responsibility for the explosions, were found near the attack site, with the police examining the contents. Nothing on the contents of the letter is out yet, but a German prosecutor said the letter "takes responsibility for the act."
"The team are in shock," Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said. "We must get through this."
Borussia Dortmund vs Monaco has been postponed to Wednesday, 6.45pm CET (10.15pm IST), and while Watzke admitted the fact that the players would have to play less than 24 hours after the scary ordeal isn't ideal, he was certain of receiving tremendous support.
"In extreme situations, all Borussia fans move even closer together and I'm sure the team will feel that," Watzke added.
"Our task is to process this experience, because the match is taking place in less than 24 hours. That's our job.
"Technically, it's possible to play. If the players are able to shake this off is an entirely different matter."
Roman Burki, the Dortmund goalkeeper, revealed the state of mind of the players and how they reacted when the explosions hit.
"I was sat in the back row next to Marc Bartra, who was hit by the shards of the burst back window," Burki told Swiss newspaper Blick. "After the bang everyone in the bus got their heads down.
"We didn't know whether there would be more. The police arrived quickly, sealed everything off. We are all in shock."
The fans, who had made it to the Westfalenstadion, in anticipation of watching their team play Monaco, were initially asked to wait, while assuring everyone inside the stadium was safe. They were later asked to "stay calm, while leaving the building.
The Dortmund fans in Germany, later, showed their solidarity with their Monaco counterparts, offering them bedding for the night, after many were left without a place to sleep following the scary events.
