During a hearing at the Central Criminal Court in London, jurors learned that one of the arsonists at a capital warehouse with links to Ukraine was recruited by the Russian mercenary group “Wagner“, BNR reported.
Damage worth about 1 million pounds was caused by the fire on March 20 last year at an industrial complex in the London district of “Leighton”, which supplied StarLink satellite equipment to Ukraine, the court heard. The attack was organized by 20-year-old Dylan Earl, who was recruited by the “Wagner“ group, and 23-year-old Jake Reeves. Reeves pleaded guilty to one count of consenting to receive a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act 2023. Earl pleaded guilty to one count of causing serious arson with risk of life under the same act.
The court was told the pair had planned further arson attacks on a restaurant and wine shop in Mayfair and the kidnapping of their multi-millionaire owner, who was a Russian dissident. A total of six men are facing trial in the case, the first to be charged under the UK's new counter-intelligence laws. Prosecutor Duncan Penny told jurors that Earle "knowingly acted on the orders of the Wagner group, which was banned as a terrorist organization in September 2023."
Explaining how Earle was recruited, the prosecutor said he came into contact with "Wagner" when he joined a TV channel in the group's name on the social media app Telegram. "Earle appears to have expressed a willingness to undertake "missions," of which the "Leighton" arson was the first. It is clear that Earle knew he was acting against Ukraine and in favor of Russian interests," the prosecutor said.