The group’s two leaders are the first to be charged under the National Security Act 2023 for links to a foreign state
A group of men who organised an arson attack on a Ukrainian-owned business in east London on behalf of the Kremlin has been jailed. Dylan Earl, 21, and Jake Reeves, 23, are the first people charged under the National Security Act 2023 for being linked to a foreign state.
The attack cost around £1million in damages after two units in a Leyton industrial estate were torched on March 20, 2024. The investigation found that Earl put himself in contact with a private military organisation that acts on behalf of the Russian state, the Wagner Group, in 2023.
He then worked with Reeves to commission Nii Mensah, Jakeem Rose, and Ugnius Asmena to carry out the arson. They also spied on two businesses in Mayfair as they prepared for more fire attacks.
Local officers initially investigated the fire, but after learning another warehouse belonging to the same Ukrainian company was torched in Madrid, Spain, Counter Terror police took over. Earl was the first group member arrested. He was apprehended in a B&Q car park in Hinckley, Leicestershire, on April 10 last year.
His phone data showed he was in touch with the Wagner Group on Telegram, via an account with the usernames ‘Privet Bot’ and ‘Lucky Strike’. Tech experts took 56GB of data from his phone including 5702 instant messages, 1,244 e-mails, 51,528 images, 3,629 videos, 183 documents, and 4,840 social media files – some of which were in Russian.
Reeves was Earl’s first recruit, and he then recruited Mensah to carry out the arson. Mensah recruited his friend Rose, and Asmena was also recruited.
The trio met up on the evening of March 20 and drove across London in a red Kia Picanto to commit the crime. Mensah had filmed the warehouse being set alight and FaceTimed Earl and Reeves.
‘They acted on behalf of the Russian state’
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “This case is a clear example of an organisation linked to the Russian state using ‘proxies’ – in this case British men – to carry out very serious criminal activity in this country on their behalf.
“The ringleaders – Earl and Reeves – acted willingly as hostile agents on behalf of the Russian state. I am pleased that, working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, we were able to use the new National Security Act legislation, which meant the severity of Earl and Reeves’s offending was reflected in the charges they faced.
“In recent years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of counter-state-threat investigations and the use of ‘proxies’ is a new tactic favoured by hostile states such as Russia.
“For anyone tempted to carry out similar criminal activity, either for payment or ideological reasons, the long prison sentences in this case should act as a stark warning on the serious consequences of committing offences on behalf of a foreign country.”
The convictions
- On July 8, Mensah, 23, from Thornton Heath, Rose 23, of Croydon, and Asmena, 21, of no fixed address, were convicted of aggravated arson.
- Ashton Evans, 20, of Newport, Gwent, was found guilty of one count of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts.
- Rose previously pleaded guilty to having a bladed article in a public place (in relation to a knife he left at the scene of the arson in Leyton). Evans also previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
- Earl, 21, of Elmesthorpe, Leicester, pleaded guilty to preparatory conduct, contrary to section 18 of the National Security Act (NSA) 2023, aggravated arson, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property.
- Reeves, 23, of Croydon, pleaded guilty to agreeing to accept a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service, contrary to section 17(2) and (11), NSA 2023, and aggravated arson.
The sentences
The group was sentenced at The Old Bailey earlier today (October 24) to the following:
- Earl: Total of 23 years, including 17 years in custody
- Reeves: Total of 13 years, including 12 years in custody
- Mensah: Total of 10 years, including nine years in custody
- Rose: Total of 9 years including eight years in custody
- Asmena: Total of eight years, including seven years in custody
- Evans: Total of 10 years, including nine years in custody
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