Six Britons acting for Russia’s Wagner group have been sentenced to prison for setting fire to a London-based storage unit that was storing humanitarian aid intended for Ukraine.
Sentencing and Roles
Sentencing the men, the judge at the central criminal court stated that they had planned a “campaign of terrorism and sabotage” in the interests of the Russian state.
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 given 12 years in jail with one year on extended licence. Their admitted crimes resulted in them being the initial persons to be convicted under the 2023 National Security Act.
Jakeem Rose, also from Croydon, was sentenced to a term of eight years and ten months. Nii Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, south London, was given nine years and Ugnius Asmena, who was homeless, was given seven years in prison. These three individuals were each found guilty of serious fire-setting and given a further year on extended licence by the judge.
Ashton Evans individual involved in drug trafficking hailing from Newport, Gwent, was jailed for nine years with an extra year on supervised release after being found guilty of withholding details regarding terrorist acts relating 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 did not leave their bedrooms 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 humanitarian aid and StarLink satellite equipment to Ukraine.
When the identical Ukrainian firm was subjected to an arson attack ten days afterward 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, police analysis of his mobile phone revealed he had videos of the storage facility blaze being initiated and was in communication with the Wagner group on Telegram, via an user profile with the handles ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike alias’.
Some of the messages indicated that reconnaissance for further “missions”, involving fire-related incidents at a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair belonging to the Russian opposition figure Evgeny Chichvarkin had already been carried out. The employment of explosive devices to harm structures was also discussed.
Detectives found that Earl was also considering the potential abduction of Chichvarkin and “sending him back to Russia to face prison”.
The drug dealer from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire had discussed an additional planned incident in the Czech Republic.
In a search of his home, law enforcement found a Russian flag, over twenty thousand pounds in currency and cocaine with a street value of about £34,000.
Motivations and Judicial Remarks
The court heard he was a participant in numerous channels promoting Russian propaganda 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 recruit disruptors far from the Russian capital.”
She determined the arson attack had a “link to terrorism” irrespective of if the individuals responsible knew it. The Wagner organization is proscribed by the UK government as a terrorist organisation.
