Poland's police chief Jaroslaw Szymczyk was injured after he accidentally fired a grenade launcher gifted by Ukraine, news agency Reuters reported citing Polish media. The explosion took place on Wednesday and damaged a ceiling in the building while Jaroslaw Szymczyk and two others suffered injuries.
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Earlier, Poland's interior ministry did not confirm media reports that the explosion was caused by the grenade launcher while the Polish police said it was investigating "an act consisting of unintentionally causing a violent release of energy that threatened the life or health of many people or property."
Jaroslaw Szymczyk said, “When I was moving the used grenade launchers, which were gifts from the Ukrainians, there was an explosion” adding that he was moving the grenade launchers into an upright position.
The police chief had received two grenade launchers as presents during his visits to the police and the state emergency service of Ukraine, reports suggested adding that the officials had assured the delegation that the launchers were not loaded. The delegation took them back to Warsaw before leaving them in the back room of Jaroslaw Szymczyk's office, it was reported.
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{{/usCountry}}Following the incident, Jaroslaw Szymczyk was widely criticised as the Polish media reported that commentators said that military equipment should not have been taken into Poland from outside the European Union (EU) or taken into an office.
Tomasz Siemoniak, former defence minister and current deputy leader of the main opposition party in Poland wrote on Twitter that the incident is "indefensible".
“Heads must roll of those responsible for this situation and endangering life. And the commander has lost his capacity to lead the police,” Tomasz Siemoniak said.