When a massive explosion rocked Warsaw’s police headquarters in December 2022, claims of a construction accident soon gave way to disbelief at the true cause.
Nearly two years on, the alleged perpetrator of the attack has been charged: Warsaw’s former police chief, Gen Jaroslaw Szymczyk.
He is accused of causing the explosion by accidentally firing an illegally-held RGW 90 grenade launcher in his office.
The weapon blew a hole in the floor and resulted in Gen Szymczyk and a staff member being treated in hospital for minor injuries and temporary hearing loss.
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Gen Szymczyk faces prison on two charges, amid claims he tried to cover up the source of the explosion.
The first charge, punishable by up to eight years in prison, is “possession without licence of a portable, anti-tank weapon ... obtained in Ukraine and transported across the border without reporting it to the relevant services”.
The second charge, carrying a possible five-year sentence, is “unintentionally endangering life and health of people and property ... by releasing the safety catch on the anti-tank weapon, then firing a shot, which caused a violent release of energy”.
The former police chief presented himself on Monday to prosecutors but, according to a prosecutor spokesman, declined to comment on charges “he neither understands nor accepts”.
According to media reports, Warsaw’s former police chief was given the grenade launcher as a gift during a Ukraine visit and believed it had been converted into a loudspeaker.
No one checked to confirm this was actually the case and, immediately after the explosion, Warsaw police claimed the office ceiling had collapsed during construction work.
In the aftermath, Gen Szymczyk, appointed by the former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party in 2016, was quickly removed from office.
A subsequent investigation by the new Polish government revealed 27 “serious irregularities” related to the grenade launcher incident – and evidence of a cover-up.
“The scale of the mess, incompetence and deliberate obstruction in this case meant no action was taken to protect the people at the time in the police headquarters,” said Poland’s interior minister, Marcin Kierwinski.
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