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Six individuals have been sentenced for their involvement in a deliberate fire at a London warehouse providing assistance to Ukraine, at the request of Russia. The incident took place in Leyton, east London, on 20th March 2024, resulting in £1.3m in damages. Dylan Earl, the mastermind behind the attack, was recruited by the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization operating on behalf of the Russian government and classified as a terrorist group by the UK. Earl was handed a 17-year prison term with an additional six years on parole, and was also planning to abduct a wealthy Russian dissident before his apprehension.
Earl, aged 21 and hailing from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, confessed to a National Security Act violation alongside Jake Reeves, 24, from Croydon, who received a 12-year imprisonment sentence with one year on parole. Reeves aided Earl in enlisting a team of individuals to execute the arson attack. The duo marks the initial convictions under the National Security Act 2023. The other four convicts and their sentences include Nii Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, who streamed the attack and received a nine-year jail term; Ashton Evans, 20, from Newport, imprisoned for nine years for withholding information about a planned abduction; Jakeem Rose, 23, from Croydon, sentenced to eight years and 10 months for setting the buildings on fire; and Ugnius Asmena, 21, of no fixed residence, serving a seven-year imprisonment term for arranging the getaway vehicle, all receiving an additional year on parole.
Earl’s recruitment by a Wagner operative over Telegram led to his expressed eagerness to undertake various “missions,” with Leyton being the inaugural assignment. Following this, he brought in accomplices to carry out the arson attack. The targeted warehouse, owned by Ukrainians, facilitated the provision of goods to Ukraine, including Starlink satellite terminals, necessitating the deployment of eight fire teams comprising 60 firefighters to contain the inferno. Despite expecting £9,000 for his role, Earl received reduced compensation as he initiated the scheme prematurely without the necessary approval. Judge Mrs. Justice Cheema-Grubb characterized the episode as a “meticulously planned campaign of terrorism and subversion” serving the interests of the Russian government.
Subsequent to the warehouse incident, Earl redirected the group’s focus towards igniting a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair and abducting the proprietor, wealthy Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin. However, his arrest at a B&Q parking lot in Leicestershire preempted the execution of these plans, with videos depicting the inception of the warehouse blaze discovered on his smartphone. The Met’s Counter Terrorism Policing head, Commander Dominic Murphy, identified Earl as an agent of a foreign power instigating unrest and criminal endeavors within the country. Security minister Dan Jarvis emphasized that the severe penalties underscore the UK’s opposition to hostile actions by foreign entities, cautioning individuals cooperating with foreign states that they are dispensable and shall not receive their promised rewards, echoing the sentiments of MI5’s leadership
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