The author of the explosive attack that occurred in April 2017 against the Borussia Dortmund bus offered today, during the trial, compensation for damages to the two injured people, Spanish footballer Marc Bartra and a police officer.

The family of Sergej W., 28 years old, is prepared to use their savings to compensate Bartra and the police officer, explained defense attorney Carl Heydenreich. "This should be seen as a sign of true remorse," declared the attorney. Normally, this offering serves as a mitigating factor in the penalty.

The accused confessed at the beginning of the trial in the court of the city of Dortmund to be responsible for detonating three homemade explosive devices with pieces of metal as the Dortmund bus passed by. The team was supposed to play that day against Monaco in the Champions League. The match was suspended and rescheduled for the next day.

However, he denied having any intention of killing or seriously injuring the occupants. He wanted to simulate an attack and for that, he specifically planned an explosive device that would not cause any harm to humans, as he stated in his declaration. "I didn't want to hurt or seriously injure anyone, nor kill anyone," said the man, who arrived in Germany at the age of 13 from Russia and currently only holds German citizenship.

However, this contradicts the information provided by the German Criminal Investigation Office (BKA), which explained that the bombs could have caused deaths. An explosives expert today described the devices used as a "lethal projectile" with the potential to kill. In his opinion, if they only wanted to provoke fear, metal pieces should not have been used.

In the trial, forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang did not appear as a witness, despite having a summons for Monday. To avoid attending the judicial process, the 28-year-old Gabonese international sent a questionable medical certificate. The senior prosecutor Carsten Dombert insists on having the player's statement, whether in person or via video from London. "It will be difficult, but we will prove it," declared Judge Peter Windgätter.

According to the investigation, the man, an electronics technician by profession, activated the explosives with the goal of making money after purchasing 15,000 options to buy Dortmund shares on the same day as the attack. Sergej W. was arrested ten days after the April 11th attack, after being monitored by the police.