Polish police headquarters explosion caused by Ukraine gift

An explosion at Polish police headquarters was caused by a grenade launcher, police chief Jaroslaw Szymczyk said.

Szymczyk said that the decommissioned weapon was a gift from Ukraine. 

Poland's Interior Ministry said that the blast was triggered on Wednesday at the police headquarters in Warsaw.

Polish authorities are probing the incident and considering whether to bring charges.

What did Poland's police chief say?

"When I went to move the used-up grenade launchers, which were a gift from the Ukrainians, there was an explosion," Szymczyk said, adding that it occurred when he placed one of the grenade launchers upright.

"The explosion was powerful — the force of the impact penetrated the floor and damaged the ceiling," he said.

Szymczyk was then taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

Szymczyk told Poland's RMF radio station that he had received a number of gifts from Kyiv, including two used-up grenade launchers.

Szymczyk said that Ukrainian authorities told his delegation that transported the gifts to Poland told him it would not be an issue, as they were worth no more than "scrap metal." RMF cited the police chief as saying that Ukrainian authorities had assured him that the second grenade launcher was used and safe.

RMF reported that one of the grenade launchers had been turned into a loudspeaker.

An 'indefensible' incident

Tomasz Siemoniak, former defense minister and lawmaker of the liberal opposition Civic Platform party, called the incident "indefensible."

"The heads of those responsible for the situation and endangering lives must fly. The commander has lost the ability to manage the police," Siemoniak said.

"I thought that our government was sending grenade launchers to Ukraine, but it turns out that it's importing them," Civic Platform lawmaker and former foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski tweeted.

In Poland, intentionally causing an explosion threatening the lives of many people is punishable by up to five years in prison.

sdi/ar (dpa, Reuters)