It seemed a good idea at the time — arm Lithuania's police with AK-47s routinely as extra security against any militant plots following the Paris attacks.

But, in just days, the decision had led to the accidental shooting of a homeless man, a manhunt for a suspected drug addict who stole one of the weapons from a police car and the resignation of the interior minister, who was accused of falling asleep during the search operation.

"What happened in Vilnius yesterday was deplorable," Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said on Friday.