German Arrest of Iraqi After Dortmund Blasts

DORTMUND - A German judge authorized on Thursday arrest 26 year old Iraqi man detained after an attack on a bus carrying players of a soccer team. Prosecutors said they believed he was a member of Islamic State (ISIS).

The Federal Prosecutor's Office said the man, identified as Abdul Beset A, had joined Islamic State in Iraq by the end of 2014 at the latest and had led a 10-man command unit there. The jihadist group controls parts of Iraq and Syria.

"The task of his unit was to prepare abductions, kidnappings, extortions and killings," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The man traveled to Turkey in March 2015 and from there on to Germany in early 2016.

"Also from Germany, the accused continued to maintain contacts with members of ISIS," it added, citing the grounds for the arrest.

Earlier, the prosecutor's office there was no evidence that the man had taken part in the attack in the western city of Dortmund. Three explosions went off as the Borussia Dortmund bus traveled to the club's stadium for their Champions League match against AS Monaco on Tuesday, injuring Spanish defender Marc Bartra and delaying the fixture by a day.