Three men were found guilty of arson in an attack on an east London warehouse that stored equipment bound for Ukraine, with authorities attributing the plot to Russian intelligence. The attack, which caused over $1.35 million in damages, was carried out by operatives of the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization designated as a terrorist entity by the British government. Prosecutors stated that the March 20, 2024, attack was planned by agents of Russia’s Wagner Group, acting on behalf of Russian military intelligence. The British government has officially labeled the Wagner Group as a terrorist organization.
According to the prosecution, the Wagner Group used British intermediaries to recruit the men to target an industrial unit in Leyton, east London, where generators and Starlink satellite equipment destined for Ukraine were stored. The Starlink equipment is widely utilized by Ukraine’s military to counter Russia’s invasion. The fire, which resulted in significant damage, is part of a broader campaign of disruption attributed to Moscow and its proxies, as per Western officials. A recent article in Fox News discussed the impact of these actions, citing Poland’s decision to close its Russian consulate in Kraków after blaming the Kremlin for a 2024 arson incident.
A jury at London’s Central Criminal Court found Jakeem Rose, 23; Ugnius Asmena, 20; and Nii Mensah, 23, guilty of aggravated arson. A fourth man, Paul English, 61, was acquitted. The prosecution claimed that the attack was orchestrated by Dylan Earl, 21, and Jake Reeves, 23, who pleaded guilty to aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group before the trial began. They also admitted to offenses under the U.K.’s National Security Act 2023. Two other men were on trial for related offenses, with one found guilty of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, while the other was cleared of all charges.