Three explosions went off next to Borussia Dortmund's team bus on Tuesday night, leaving one player injured and causing the club's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Monaco to be postponed.

According to local police, the blasts were specifically aimed at the bus and a letter claiming responsibility for the attack was recovered from the scene. Investigators are examining the letter's authenticity.

The incident occurred as the team left their hotel in the suburb of Dortmund-Höchsten shortly after 7.00pm local time. Marc Barta, the Dortmund defender, broke a bone in his right wrist in the incident and underwent surgery in hospital.

Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Show all 20 1 /20 Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion A number of Dortmund players have admitted they have struggled to cope following a bomb attack on their team bus, which left defender Marc Bartra hospitalised. Bongarts/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Dortmund player was injured following explosions near the team bus ahead of the Champions League quarterfinal match against Monaco. Bongarts/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion North Rhine-Westphalia police spokesman Gunnar Wortmann told The Associated Press Tuesday that there were "three explosions near the team bus as they left the hotel to go to the stadium" and that "there was one player injured inside and damage to a window." AFP/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Dortmund said the player was "in safety" and that "there is no danger in and around the stadium." AFP/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion In a statement, police say there was an explosion after 7 p.m. local time. AFP/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion The chief executive of a German soccer team Borussia Dortmund says player Marc Bartra was injured on the arm and hand when three explosions went off near the team bus. AFP/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Dortmund Chief Executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said the injuries to the Spanish defender Tuesday night are "nothing life-threatening." Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Dortmund police spokeswoman Nina Vogt says investigators do not yet know the source of the explosions that went off as the team was preparing to leave their hotel for a match against Monaco. Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion The chief executive of German soccer team Borussia Dortmund says police informed him that the explosives that went off near the team bus were hidden by the exit of a hotel and detonated as the bus passed. Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Buerki says the team bus had just pulled out of a hotel driveway at about 7:15 p.m. when it was rocked by an explosion. Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Buerki told Swiss daily Blick on Tuesday night that "there was a huge bang, literally an explosion" that sent glass flying about. Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Bongarts/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Police in the German city of Dortmund say investigators "are working on the assumption" that the explosions that rocked a professional soccer team's bus were caused by "serious explosive devices." Bongarts/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Dortmund police said the devices that went off near the bus as German team Borussia Dortmund was leaving its hotel for a match Tuesday night "may have been hidden in a hedge near a parking area." AFP/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion The Champions League quarterfinal first leg game between Dortmund and Monaco was called off and rescheduled for Wednesday. AFP/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion The police chief for the German city of Dortmund says it's not clear yet who was behind the explosions that rocked a bus carrying the Borussia Dortmund soccer team and left a player injured. AFP/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion A spokesman at the already crowded stadium informed fans of the cancellation, saying that "there is no reason for panic here at the stadium." AFP/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Bongarts/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Dortmund Police Chief Gregor Lange told reporters late Tuesday that police decided at an early stage that the soccer team was the target of the explosions and are not excluding any possible angles in their investigation. AFP/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund bus explosion Borussia Dortmund bus explosion A prosecutor says a letter found outside the hotel the team bus was departing from when the explosions happened "takes responsibility for the act." AFP/Getty Images

Tuesday's match was subsequently put back until 5.45pm BST on Wednesday, with the decision to postpone made 15 minutes prior to the game's scheduled kick off at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund's home ground.

Supporters were kept inside the stadium until police established that they would be safe to leave. The Monaco fans chanted Dortmund songs in a show of solidarity, while Dortmund encouraged residents of the city to house travelling Monaco supporters who still wish to attend Wednesday's rescheduled fixture.

Polizei Nordrhein-Westfalen Dortmund, the local police force, praised fans for the way they dealt with developments, tweeting: “High praise to all stadium visitors! Without problems almost all left the stadium and are on the way home!”

Hans-Joachim Watzke, Dortmund's CEO, revealed that the club's players were in shock following the attack, writing in a statement on Facebook: “There has been an attack with explosives on the team bus. Three explosive devices were placed and triggered on the edge of the road.



“The whole team is in a state of shock, you can't get pictures like that out of your head. I hope the team will be in a position to be able to compete tomorrow on the pitch. In a crisis situation like this, Borussia pulls together,” he added.

A statement by local police released shortly after news broke of the incident read: “In the run-up to the Champions League match of the BVB against the AS Monaco, there was an explosion near the BVB team team bus shortly after 7pm.”

“The event location is Wittbräuckerstraße / Schirrmannweg in Dortmund-Höchsten. According to current knowledge the disks of the bus (whole or partial) were broken and one person was injured.

“It is not yet possible to say exactly what the explosion was or exactly where something exploded.”