Six Britons acting for Russia’s Wagner group have been sentenced to prison for igniting a London-based warehouse that was holding relief supplies destined for Ukraine.
Sentencing and Roles
While delivering the sentences, the judge at the Old Bailey stated that they had planned a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” to benefit the Russian state.
Dylan Earl was given a 17-year prison sentence with an additional six years on supervised release due to his “primary involvement”. Another defendant, Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was sentenced to twelve years in jail with an additional year on supervised release. 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 jailed for 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 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 court.
Ashton Evans drug dealer hailing from Newport, Gwent, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment with an extra year on supervised release after being found guilty of withholding details regarding acts of terrorism relating to another plot in the Mayfair area.
Details of the Attack
The arson attack on a Leyton-based storage facility in East London put 60 firefighters at risk and resulted in £1m in damage in March last year.
The court heard 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 individuals involved selected the storage facility because it was being used to supply emergency relief and satellite communication gear to Ukraine.
When the identical Ukrainian firm was subjected to an intentional fire ten days afterward in Madrid, investigators from the Metropolitan Police's anti-terror unit assumed control of the probe.
Evidence and Further Plans
When Earl was taken into custody, police analysis of his cellphone uncovered he had recordings of the warehouse fire being started and was in communication with the Wagner group on the Telegram messaging app, via an user profile with the handles ‘Privet Bot account’ and ‘Lucky Strike alias’.
Some of the messages indicated that preliminary surveillance for further “missions”, involving arson attacks at a restaurant and wine store in Mayfair district owned by the Russian opposition figure Evgeny Chichvarkin had already been carried out. The use of explosives to harm structures was also deliberated.
Investigators discovered that Earl was also considering the potential abduction of Chichvarkin and “exiling him back to Russia to confront imprisonment”.
The individual involved in narcotics from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire had discussed another potential attack in the Czech Republic.
In a residence inspection, law enforcement found a Russian flag, more than £20,000 in cash and cocaine hydrochloride with a market value of approximately thirty-four thousand pounds.
Motivations and Judicial Remarks
The proceedings revealed he was a participant in numerous pro-Russian propaganda channels and was driven 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 found the fire incident had a “terrorist connection” irrespective of if the individuals responsible knew it. The Wagner group is banned by the UK government as a terrorist organisation.
