Six Britons working on behalf of Russia’s Wagner group have been sentenced to prison for igniting a London-based warehouse that was holding relief supplies destined for Ukraine.
Court Rulings and Involvement
Sentencing the men, the judge at the central criminal court remarked that they had orchestrated a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” in the interests of the Russian government.
Dylan Earl was given a 17-year jail term with an additional six years on supervised release due to his “leading role”. Another defendant, Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was sentenced to 12 years in prison with an additional year on extended licence. The offences they admitted made them the first individuals to be convicted under the 2023 National Security Act.
Jakeem Rose, also a Croydon resident, was jailed for eight years and 10 months. Nii Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, south London, was sentenced to nine years and Ugnius Asmena, 21, who was homeless, was given seven years. The trio were each found guilty of serious fire-setting and received a additional year on extended licence by the court.
Ashton Evans individual involved in drug trafficking from Newport in Gwent, was jailed for nine years plus a further year on supervised release after being found guilty of failing to disclose details regarding acts of terrorism relating to a separate scheme in the Mayfair area.
Incident Specifics
The arson attack on a warehouse in Leyton, east London put 60 firefighters at risk and caused one million pounds worth of destruction in March last year.
The court heard that Earl, 21 and Reeves, 24 remained in their residences while coordinating the incident for the Wagner mercenary organization, acting on behalf of the Russian Federation.
The group selected the warehouse because it was being used to supply emergency relief and satellite communication gear to Ukraine.
When the same Ukrainian company was subjected to an intentional fire 10 days later in the Spanish capital, detectives from the Met’s counter-terrorism command took over the investigation.
Evidence and Further Plans
When Earl was taken into custody, law enforcement examination of his cellphone revealed he had videos of the warehouse fire being started and was in communication with the Wagner group on Telegram, via an account with the usernames ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike’.
Some of the communications showed that preliminary surveillance for additional operations, involving arson attacks at a dining establishment and wine store in Mayfair district owned by the Russian opposition figure Evgeny Chichvarkin had already taken place. The use of explosives to harm structures was also deliberated.
Detectives discovered that the defendant Earl was also raising the possibility of kidnapping Chichvarkin and “exiling him back to Russia to confront imprisonment”.
The drug dealer from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire had talked about another potential attack in the Czech nation.
In a search of his home, police found a Russian flag, more than £20,000 in cash and cocaine with a street value of about £34,000.
Motivations and Judicial Remarks
The court heard he was a participant in multiple pro-Russian propaganda channels and was motivated by “plain and severe avarice”.
“This case is about the attempts by the Russian government to acquire harmful worldwide sway using social media to enlist saboteurs vast distances from Moscow.”
She found the fire incident had a “link to terrorism” irrespective of if the individuals responsible knew it. The Wagner group is banned by the British authorities as a terrorist group.
