October 4, 2024
Six men charged over a fire at a Ukrainian-linked business in London, which prosecutors say was lit on behalf of Russia's paramilitary Wagner group, appeared in court on Friday.
Jakeem Rose, 22, Ugnius Asmena, 19, Dylan Earl, 20, Jake Reeves, 22, Nii Mensah, 22, and Paul English, 61, are all accused of setting fire to an industrial unit in Leyton, east London.
The March 20 blaze needed 60 firefighters to put it out.
The six were charged with aggravated arson under the National Security Act.
All except Asmena appeared at a hearing at the Old Bailey, the top criminal court in England and Wales, along with Dmitrijus Paulauskas, 22, who is charged with failing to disclose information about terrorist acts.
The men allegedly targeted a property "owned by a Ukrainian" on behalf of the Wagner group of mercenaries, according to court documents.
Rose pleaded guilty to possession of a knife in a public place at Friday's hearing, while Paulauskas pleaded not guilty to failing to disclose information about terrorist acts.
Pleas for the remaining charges will be heard at the Old Bailey on October 25.
It is alleged that Earl was in contact with a handler in the Wagner Group and orchestrated the attack, recruiting and paying the others.
The Wagner Group is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.
At the time of Earl's charging, Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police in London's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "This is a highly significant moment and investigation for us."
"Not only are the charges that have been authorised by the CPS 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."
The National Security Act 2023, which came into effect in December, was designed to respond to "the threat of hostile activity from states targeting the UK's democracy, economy, and values", the government said at the time.
https://www.barrons.com/news/six-appear ... t-25ed6ae4