Two British men have been charged with offences under the United Kingdom’s new National Security Act, following a suspected arson attack on a London warehouse connected to Ukraine.
Dylan Earl, 20, and Jake Reeves, 22, face charges that stem from an incident in March, when a fire broke out at a warehouse on an industrial estate in Leyton, east London. The Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism officers, leading the investigation, have linked the incident to Russian intelligence efforts.
Mr Earl is accused of planning to target the business, as well as attempting to recruit individuals to materially assist a foreign intelligence service, undertaking fraudulent activity and arson. Mr Reeves is accused of accepting money knowing that it was from a foreign intelligence service. Mr Earl and Mr Reeves are the first people to be charged under a new law designed to update and modernise the offences of espionage, sabotage and foreign interference.
Nick Price, head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said, “Included in the alleged activity was involvement in the planning of an arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked commercial property in March 2024.” He added that Mr. Earl is accused of engaging in conduct to benefit the Russian state by targeting businesses linked to Ukraine.
Court documents show he is alleged to be connected to the proscribed terrorist group the Wagner Group, a private military company led by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has summoned the Russian ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin, to address the allegations of Russian-orchestrated malign activity on British soil. An FCDO spokesperson emphasised the UK’s commitment to “deter and defend against the full spectrum of threats that emanate from Russia.”
Furthermore, the British Foreign Secretary has commented on the gravity of the situation, stating: “We will use the full weight of the criminal justice system to hold anyone found guilty of crimes linked to foreign interference to account.”
Three other individuals associated with the arson case have been charged with related offences, though not directly under the National Security Act. Dmitrijus Paulauska faces charges related to possessing information about terrorist acts, whereas Nii Mensah and Paul English are both charged with aggravated arson.
Mr Earl appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week, but for legal reasons BBC News has not been able to report this until the last few days. All five are due to appear at the Old Bailey on 10 May.
Relevant articles:
– British men charged with helping Russia under new security law, bbc.co.uk, 04/27/2024
– Brits charged with helping Russia after suspected arson attack on Ukraine-linked firm, POLITICO Europe, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 13:43:00 GMT
– British man charged with acting on behalf of Russia in plot to torch Ukrainian-linked business, Yahoo! Voices, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 17:05:42 GMT
– Two British men charged with helping Russian intelligence in London arson attack, Financial Times, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 13:57:57 GMT
– British man accused of orchestrating arson attack in London for Russia’s Wagner group, The Independent, Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:50:13 GMT