A group of men was convicted for participating in the arson of a warehouse with humanitarian aid for Ukraine, organized by the Wagner PMC in East London, writes Guardian. This is the first case in which Britons acting in the interests of the banned Russian terrorist group were convicted.
The fire occurred in March 2024. The investigation established that the arsonists were 23-year-old Jaykim Rose, 20-year-old Ugnius Asmena, and 23-year-old Nii Mensah. They were all found guilty of aggravated arson with intent to endanger life.
As a result of the fire at the industrial site, damage amounted to about 1 million pounds sterling. Eight fire brigades, consisting of 60 firefighters, were required to extinguish the fire.
The attack was organized by 20-year-old Dylan Earl and 23-year-old Gatwick Airport cleaner Jake Reeves on the orders of the Wagner PMC, who chose the warehouse as a target because it was used for supplying humanitarian aid and Starlink satellite equipment to Ukraine.
In May, they planned to carry out several more arsons at a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair, as well as kidnap the owner, Yevgeny Chichvarkin, but ultimately these plans failed.
Earl and Reeves pleaded guilty to intentional arson on the orders of the Wagner PMC and became the first to be convicted under the National Security Act 2023, as reported by the jury. As noted by the publication, Earl corresponded in Telegram with a contact listed as Privet Bot — an alleged representative of the Russian PMC. Previously, this same account was involved in an OCCRP investigation into the recruitment of European residents for sabotage.
Another figure in the case, Ashton Evans, was found guilty of a less serious crime: he failed to inform the authorities about the preparation of a terrorist act.