Six Britons acting for the Wagner mercenary group linked to Russia have been sentenced to prison for setting fire to a London-based storage unit that was storing humanitarian aid destined for Ukraine.
Sentencing and Roles
Sentencing the men, the presiding judge at the Old Bailey stated that they had planned a “series of terrorist and sabotage acts” to benefit the Russian state.
Dylan Earl received a 17-year jail term with an additional six years on supervised release due to his “primary involvement”. Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was given twelve years in prison with an additional year on supervised release. The offences they admitted made them the initial persons to be found guilty under the National Security Act 2023.
Jakeem Rose, aged 23, also from Croydon, was jailed for eight years and 10 months. Nii Mensah, from Thornton Heath, south London, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment and Ugnius Asmena, who was homeless, was handed seven years. These three individuals were each convicted of serious fire-setting and given a additional year on extended licence by the judge.
Ashton Evans, a 20-year-old individual involved in drug trafficking from Newport in Gwent, was jailed for nine years with an extra year on supervised release after being found guilty of failing to disclose details regarding terrorist acts connected to a separate scheme 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 remained in their residences while organising the attack for the Wagner mercenary organization, representing the Russian Federation.
The individuals involved targeted the storage facility because it was being utilized for providing humanitarian aid 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 investigation.
Proof and Additional Schemes
When Earl was taken into custody, police analysis of his cellphone revealed he had recordings of the storage facility blaze being started and was in communication with the Wagner group on Telegram, via an account with the handles ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike’.
Some of the messages indicated that preliminary surveillance for further “missions”, involving fire-related incidents 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 raising the possibility of kidnapping Chichvarkin and “exiling him back to Russia to confront imprisonment”.
The individual involved in narcotics from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire had discussed an additional planned incident in the Czech Republic.
In a search of his home, police found a flag of Russia, over twenty thousand pounds in currency and cocaine with a market value of approximately thirty-four thousand pounds.
Driving Factors and Court Comments
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 online platforms to enlist saboteurs far from the Russian capital.”
She determined the fire incident had a “link to terrorism” regardless of whether the individuals responsible were aware of it. The Wagner group is proscribed by the British authorities as a terrorist group.
