Update: 7 June 2023, 15:07

Aspirant Przemysław Ratajczyk from the Wrocław Provincial Police Headquarters:

On Sunday evening (4 June this year), the duty officer at the District Police Headquarters in Zgorzelec was informed of a break-in on a train carriage that had stopped at the railway station in Węgliniec. The perpetrators stole four ammunition crates. Given the nature of the case, the circumstances of the incident are being clarified by the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Jelenia Góra.

Immediately after the report, the case was taken up by officers from Zgorzelec together with officers from the Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław. The police investigated various possibilities and, apparently, when the perpetrators realised what they had stolen, they became frightened and, fearing serious consequences, decided to abandon the loot. The actions undertaken by investigators led to the stolen items being recovered from the carriage without delay. Findings indicate that their contents are complete. Three men aged 26, 34 and 39, all well known to Zgorzelec officers for previous property offences, were detained in connection with the case.

Procedural activities involving the detainees are currently being carried out and will conclude at the prosecutor’s office. The offence of burglary is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

In turn, Police Chief Spokesperson Inspector Mariusz Ciarka informed us that the ammunition crates had been sunk in a pond. As can be seen, after realising what was inside, the thieves decided to abandon the crates and hide them at the same time. Three of the crates were originally sealed. One was open, but complete.

Update: 7 June 2023, 12:40

Polish Police on Twitter:

Officers from Pieńsk (District Police Headquarters in Zgorzelec @DPolicja) found and recovered in Stary Węgliniec near Zgorzelec four crates containing ammunition that had been stolen from a special train. At present, no ammunition shortages have been found.

Three people were detained.

Let us recall. The matter was reported yesterday, in the late afternoon, by the eluban.pl website:

According to information reaching us, quite a few services arrived in Węgliniec and are visiting the homes of everyone who may be connected with the case.

It added:

When asked about the theft of ammunition from a carriage at the railway station in Węgliniec, the spokesperson for the Zgorzelec police said only that all the case materials had been handed over to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Zgorzelec.

And added:

Unofficially, it is being said that the stolen weapons transport was under the supervision of US Army soldiers and that the theft took place on Sunday evening.

The o2.pl website reported:

According to our information, the stolen crates contained ammunition. And not just any ammunition—the markings indicate 155 mm high-explosive fragmentation shells. This is howitzer ammunition. The transport’s destination station, Zamość-Boratycze, located near the border with Ukraine, says a great deal. It was probably an ammunition delivery to Ukraine.

More detailed information can be found in the report by the o2.pl portal: Alarm in Węgliniec. Ammunition guarded by NATO has disappeared.

We will return to the topic if new information emerges in the case mentioned above.