Piotr Antoni Skiba, a spokesman for the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office, said that Szymczyk faces multiple charges, including unlawful possession of a military-grade RGW-90 Recoilless Grenade Weapon between December 12 and 14, 2022.
Prosecutors allege he had transported the weapon from Ukraine to Poland without declaring it to customs officials at the Dorohusk border crossing, an offense classified under Polish law as illegal possession of a firearm.
The incident occurred shortly after Szymczyk returned from Ukraine, where he had received several grenade launchers as gifts from Ukrainian security officials.
He later claimed he was told the weapons were decommissioned and brought them to Poland without issue.
One of the launchers exploded in his office, leaving him with minor injuries to his ear.
On December 14, 2022, inside the headquarters of the national police on Puławska Street in Warsaw, Szymczyk allegedly unintentionally set off the launcher.
The explosion caused structural damage to police offices and put numerous people in danger.
According to prosecutors, the projectile did not fully detonate because it lacked sufficient space to arm itself, but the force of the blast still caused significant destruction.
An expert assessment from Poland’s Military Institute of Armament Technology confirmed that the RGW-90 grenade launcher was operational and set to a high-explosive fragmentation mode.
It is a weapon designed exclusively for military use, and civilians cannot legally obtain a permit for such a device.
At the time Szymczyk received the launcher as a gift during an official visit to Ukraine, it lacked any documentation proving it had been deactivated.
Prosecutors stated that forensic analysis suggests Szymczyk personally disabled the safety mechanism and performed a sequence of actions that led to the weapon’s discharge.
He has been charged with two separate offenses: illegal possession of a firearm, which carries a prison sentence of six months to eight years, and unintentionally causing an explosion that endangered lives and property, which is punishable by three months to five years in prison.
Szymczyk has denied any wrongdoing.
In an interview with Polish broadcaster Radio Eska, he said: “I am convinced of my innocence.”
He added that he had wanted to provide additional explanations but was not released from his obligations under state and service secrecy laws.
He also announced plans to take legal action in response to the charges.
The Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office continues to oversee a related investigation into whether other public officials failed in their duties by not inspecting the grenade launcher before it was brought into Poland.
Another inquiry is examining why no evacuation was ordered at police headquarters after the explosion.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP