A group of six individuals from Britain working on behalf of Russia’s Wagner group have been sentenced to prison for igniting a London-based storage unit that was storing relief supplies destined for Ukraine.
Sentencing and Roles
While delivering the sentences, the judge at the central criminal court stated that they had orchestrated a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” to benefit the Russian government.
Dylan Earl was given a seventeen-year jail term with an additional six years on extended licence due to his “leading role”. Another defendant, Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was sentenced to 12 years in prison with one year on extended licence. The offences they admitted resulted in them being the first individuals to be convicted under the 2023 National Security Act.
Jakeem Rose, aged 23, also from Croydon, was sentenced to eight years and 10 months. Nii Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, south London, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment and Ugnius Asmena, 21, who was without a fixed address, was handed seven years in prison. The trio were each found guilty of serious fire-setting and received a further year on extended licence by the court.
Ashton Evans drug dealer from Newport in Gwent, was jailed for nine years plus a further year on supervised release after being convicted of failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism connected to another plot in Mayfair.
Incident Specifics
The arson attack on a warehouse in Leyton, east London put 60 firefighters at risk and caused £1m in damage in March last year.
The proceedings revealed that Earl, 21 and the 24-year-old Reeves remained in their residences while organising the attack for the Wagner group, acting on behalf of the Russian Federation.
The group targeted the storage facility because it was being used to supply emergency relief and satellite communication gear to Ukraine.
When the same Ukrainian company was hit by an intentional fire 10 days later in the Spanish capital, investigators from the Metropolitan Police's anti-terror unit assumed control of the probe.
Proof and Additional Schemes
When Earl was arrested, police analysis of his cellphone revealed he had recordings of the storage facility blaze being started and was in contact with the Wagner group on Telegram, via an account with the usernames ‘Privet Bot account’ and ‘Lucky Strike alias’.
Some of the communications showed that reconnaissance for additional operations, involving arson attacks at a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair district belonging to the Russian opposition figure Evgeny Chichvarkin had already taken place. The employment of explosive devices to damage buildings was also discussed.
Detectives found that the defendant Earl was also raising the potential abduction of Chichvarkin and “exiling him back to Russia to face prison”.
The individual involved in narcotics from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire had discussed another potential attack in the Czech Republic.
In a search of his home, law enforcement located a flag of Russia, more than £20,000 in cash and cocaine with a market value of about £34,000.
Driving Factors and Court Comments
The court heard he was a participant in multiple pro-Russian propaganda channels and was motivated by “simple and ugly greed”.
“This case is about the attempts by the Russian government to acquire harmful worldwide sway using online platforms to enlist saboteurs far from the Russian capital.”
She found the arson attack had a “terrorist connection” regardless of whether the individuals responsible were aware of it. The Wagner group is proscribed by the British authorities as a terrorist organisation.
