Men jailed over arson attack for Russia on Ukrainian business in London
Jake Reeves, left, was brought into the plot by Dylan Earl
- Published
Six men have been jailed for their parts in a Russian-ordered arson attack on a London warehouse providing aid to Ukraine.
The fire at industrial units in Leyton, east London, on 20 March 2024 caused £1.3m in damage.
Ringleader Dylan Earl was recruited by the Wagner Group, a mercenary organisation that acts on behalf of the Russian state and is proscribed by the UK government as a terrorist organisation. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison plus a further six years on extended licence.
Before his arrest, he was also plotting to kidnap a wealthy Russian dissident.
Earl, 21, from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, admitted a National Security Act offence and aggravated arson, along with Jake Reeves, 24, from Croydon, who was given 12 years in prison plus one year on extended licence.
Reeves helped Earl recruit a group of men to carry out the arson. The pair are the first to be convicted of offences under the National Security Act 2023.
The act is designed to tackle threats that fall short of traditional spying and can involve third party actors not working directly for a hostile state, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says.
Of the other four men sentenced:
Nii Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, who streamed the attack, was convicted of aggravated arson and jailed for nine years
Ashton Evans, 20, from Newport, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, convicted for failing to tell police what he knew about a planned kidnapping, and jailed for nine years.
Jakeem Rose, 23, from Croydon, who set the buildings alight, pleaded guilty to have a bladed article in a public place, convicted of aggravated arson and jailed for eight years and 10 months
Ugnius Asmena, 21, of no fixed address, who arranged the getaway car and was there on the night, was convicted of aggravated arson and jailed for seven years
All four each received a further year on extended licence.
- Published2 days ago
Earl contacted the Wagner Group on messaging app Telegram and told his handler he was keen to carry out a series of "missions", of which Leyton would be the first, the court previously heard.
In the chat, Earl's contact instructed him to watch Cold War spy drama The Americans and use it as a "manual".
Earl then brought in other men to carry out the arson attack.
The Ukrainian-owned warehouse they targeted had been used to send goods to Ukraine, including Starlink satellite terminals, and it required eight fire crews with 60 firefighters to get the blaze under control.
Earl was supposed to receive £9,000 for his role but was paid less because he carried out the plan early without his handler's sign-off.
On Friday, Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb described the case as a "planned campaign of terrorism and sabotage" in the interests of the Russian state.
Police footage shows arson attack ringleader's arrest
After the warehouse attack, Earl and Reeves set the group's sights on an arson attack on a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair and the kidnap of owner Evgeny Chichvarkin, a critic of the Russian state.
But before he could carry it out, he was arrested in a B&Q car park in Leicestershire, and videos of the warehouse fire being started were found on his phone.
In a search of the drug dealer's home, police recovered a Russian flag, more than £20,000 in cash and cocaine with a street value of some £34,000.
Evidence on his phone revealed details of a cryptocurrency account holding more than £58,000 and images of bundles of cash estimated to total £175,000.
Earl also admitted possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property.
The fire caused about £1.3m worth of damage to the warehouse
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Policing, told the BBC Earl was "somebody working absolutely as an agent of a foreign state to sow unrest and commit crimes in this country".
He added Russia presents "a very real threat to our national security" and it was not unusual now to see Russia contacting people online and then using them to conduct criminal activity on their behalf.
Security minister Dan Jarvis said the sentences sent a clear message that the UK would not tolerate hostile activity by foreign states.
"To those acting for a foreign state, as the head of MI5 has said, you are disposable and you will not receive your reward, just as these individuals found out," he warned.