Police have charged two more men in connection with an alleged arson attack against a Ukraine-linked business in London back in March. The total number of suspects has now risen to seven. Earlier this year, two British men were charged with helping a foreign intelligence service in relation to a large fire at an industrial estate in Leyton which, it is believed, was started by Russia. Dylan Earl and Jake Reeves were the first two people to be prosecuted under the National Security Act, which is designed to address alleged espionage, sabotage and foreign interference. According to the legislation, Earl attempted to recruit individuals to materially assist a foreign intelligence service, planned to target the business, undertook fraudulent activity and was involved in arson. Reeves is charged with accepting money that he knew was from a foreign intelligence service. Three other suspects had previously been charged with lesser offences unrelated to national security legislation.
The two most recent suspects, Jakeem Barrington Rose, 22, and Ugnius Asmena, 19, were charged with aggravated arson over the weekend. Neither has ties to Russian intelligence. Asmena was raised in Lithuania but currently has no fixed address. He had previously unsuccessfully applied for EU Settled status. Meanwhile, Rose, who hails from Croydon, was also charged with two counts of possessing a knife. During the short hearing, neither man was asked to enter a plea.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, has said that there is currently no threat to the wider public as police investigations into the incident continue. A trial is set to begin next June
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
