Three British men were convicted of “aggravated arson with the intent to endanger life” for their March 20, 2024 arson attack on an east London warehouse holding humanitarian aid and Starlink equipment for Ukraine.
The verdict came on Tuesday at London’s Old Bailey courthouse and the men were apparently acting on behalf of the Wagner Group, a private mercenary group that works closely with the Kremlin.
The men were named as Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnisius Asmena, 20, and Nii Mensah, 23 according to the BBC.
The men reportedly live-streamed the attack, where they poured gasoline on the door of the warehouse, costing over £1 million in damage. The men were captured on CCTV and Rose reportedly left a knife at the scene containing his DNA.
The BBC reported that during the trial, the court heard that Earl had told his Wagner group handler, whom he had met through Telegram, that he was keen to carry out a series of “missions”, of which the warehouse fire was only the first.
Further plots were discovered, involving arson attacks on a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair, west London and to kidnap its owner, a multi-millionaire and Russian dissident Evgeny Chichvarkin.
Last month, during the trial, AFP quoted Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police in London‘s Counter Terrorism Command, who said in November 2024, that it was “a highly significant moment and investigation for us”.
“Not only are the charges... extremely serious, but it is also the first time that we have arrested, and now charged, anyone using the powers and legislation brought in under the National Security Act.”
In 2023, the United Kingdom passed the National Security Act to address espionage, sabotage, and persons working for foreign powers.
Last year, MI6 Chief Richard Moore warned of the threat posed by Wagner in Europe.
“We have recently uncovered a staggeringly reckless campaign of Russian sabotage in Europe, even as Putin and his acolytes resort to nuclear saber-rattling to sow fear about the consequences of aiding Ukraine and challenge Western resolve,” Moore said during a speech in Paris last year.