Six Britons acting for the Wagner mercenary group linked to Russia have been handed jail terms for igniting a London-based storage unit that was holding humanitarian aid intended for Ukraine.
Sentencing and Roles
Sentencing the men, the judge at the central criminal court remarked that they had planned a “campaign of terrorism and sabotage” in the interests of the Russian state.
The individual named Dylan Earl received a seventeen-year prison sentence with an extra six-year period on extended licence due to his “leading role”. Another defendant, Jake Reeves, a resident of Croydon, South London, was sentenced to 12 years in jail with one year on supervised release. Their admitted crimes made them the initial persons to be found guilty under the 2023 National Security Act.
Jakeem Rose, aged 23, 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, who was without a fixed address, was handed seven years in prison. These three individuals were each convicted of aggravated arson and given a additional year on extended licence by the judge.
Ashton Evans drug dealer hailing from Newport, Gwent, was jailed for nine years plus a further year on supervised release after being found guilty of withholding details regarding terrorist acts connected to a separate scheme in Mayfair.
Details of the Attack
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 the 21-year-old Earl and the 24-year-old Reeves remained in their residences while organising the attack for the Wagner mercenary organization, acting on behalf of the Russian government.
The group targeted 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 arson attack 10 days later in Madrid, investigators from the Metropolitan Police's anti-terror unit took over the probe.
Evidence and Further Plans
When Earl was taken into custody, police analysis of his mobile phone revealed he had videos of the storage facility blaze being initiated and was in communication with the Wagner organization on Telegram, via an account with the usernames ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike’.
Some of the communications indicated that preliminary surveillance for additional operations, involving fire-related incidents at a restaurant and wine store in Mayfair district belonging to the Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin had already taken place. The use of explosives to harm structures was also deliberated.
Detectives discovered that Earl was also raising the potential abduction of Chichvarkin and “sending him back to Russia to confront imprisonment”.
The individual involved in narcotics from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire had discussed an additional planned incident in the Czech Republic.
In a residence inspection, police found a Russian flag, more than £20,000 in cash and cocaine hydrochloride with a market value of about £34,000.
Motivations and Judicial Remarks
The court heard he was a participant in numerous pro-Russian propaganda channels and was driven by “simple and ugly greed”.
“This case is about the attempts by the Russian government to gain pernicious global influence using online platforms to enlist saboteurs far from the Russian capital.”
She determined the fire incident had a “terrorist connection” regardless of whether the individuals responsible were aware of it. The Wagner organization is proscribed by the British authorities as a terrorist organisation.
