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German investigators have found no evidence so far that an Iraqi man detained after the Borussia Dortmund bus attack was involved in the bombing, but said he was suspected of membership in the Islamic State group.
The search for the bomber or bombers is continuing.
Three explosions on Wednesday (AEST) near the football team's bus wounded a Dortmund player and a police officer as they headed to a Champions League match against Monaco.
Federal prosecutors said the 26-year-old Iraqi who was arrested — identified only as Abdul Beset A. in line with German privacy laws — allegedly joined IS in Iraq by late 2014 and led a unit of about 10 fighters involved in preparing kidnappings, extortions and killings.
He travelled to Turkey in March 2015 and remained in contact with members of IS after arriving in Germany in early 2016, prosecutors said.
However, "so far the investigation has turned up no evidence that the suspect participated in the attack", they said in a statement.
A judge later ordered that A. be kept in investigative detention over his alleged IS membership.
Authorities also searched the home of a second suspected Islamic extremist but prosecutors said Friday there were no indications he was involved in the bus attack.
Police said the metal-packed devices used in the attack were sophisticated and would have required detailed knowledge of explosives and detonators.
Investigators are still puzzling over three copies of a note claiming responsibility for the attack that were found at the scene.
The note demanded that Germany withdraw reconnaissance jets assisting the fight against IS and close the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Experts said the letter's mix of correct, complicated German and obvious mistakes raised the possibility it could be a red herring intended to place blame on Islamic extremists.
The head of the domestic intelligence agency's regional branch, Burkhard Freier, said that Arabic phrases were missing from the note and its demands were not typical of IS, noting that "IS doesn't negotiate".
Meanwhile, Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos said his side was treated poorly by UEFA after being forced to play the match just 24 hours after the attack. Dortmund lost 3-2 to Monaco in the Champions League quarter-finals clash.
"I am happy first that I am alive," he told ESPN FC after the match.
"It was the most difficult day that I have lived in my life and I hope that nobody else has to live this day. After yesterday I don't have any more space to think about the game.
"They [UEFA] have to understand that we are not animals.
"We are people who have families, who have kids in the house. And we are not animals. I am happy that all the players are alive, and all the staff are alive.
"It is very difficult today to think to go and play football. For everybody, it is very difficult to go to work after yesterday. I hope that what happened to us, never happens to anyone else. I hope that was the last time."
AP/ABC
Topics: terrorism, unrest-conflict-and-war, champions-league, soccer, sport, germany