Men jailed for London warehouse arson

Six men have been sentenced following an arson attack on on a Ukrainian-owned business in east London on behalf of Russia.

Around £1 million of damage was caused after two units in an industrial estate in Leyton were set on fire in March last year.

The ringleaders of the group Dylan Earl and Jake Reeves are the first people to be prosecuted under the National Security Act 2023.

Following a Counter Terrorism Policing London investigation, it was established that Earl, aged 21, made contact with the Wagner Group in 2023. He then worked with Reeves to recruit a group of men to carry out the arson. They were Nii Mensah, Jakeem Rose and Ugnius Asmena.

They also organised surveillance of two businesses in Mayfair in preparation for further arson attacks.

The fire was initially investigated by local Met officers in Waltham Forest. However, it became apparent that another warehouse belonging to the same Ukrainian company was also subject to an arson attack in Madrid and the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command took over the investigation.

Earl was arrested in a B&Q car park in Hinckley, Leicestershire, on 10 April 2024. Analysis of his mobile phone revealed his contact with the Wagner Group on Telegram. 56GB of data was extracted from his phone including 5702 instant messages, 1244 e-mails, 51528 images, 3629 videos, 183 documents and 4840 social media files.

Earl recruited Reeves, who then recruited his friend Mensah, who recruited his friend Rose. Asmena was also recruited.

Mensah, Rose and Asmena met up on the evening of 20 March 2024 and travelled in a red Kia Picanto to the scene of the arson. Mensah filmed the warehouse being set on fire and live-streamed it to Earl and Reeves.

Earl 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. He has been sentenced to a total of 23 years, including 17 years in custody.

Reeves, aged 23, 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. He has been sentenced to a total of 13 years, including 12 years in custody.

Mensah, 23, Rose, 23 and Asmena, 21, were convicted of aggravated arson. Mensah was sentenced to 10 years, including 9 in custody; Rose, 9 years, including 8 in custody; and Asmena 8 years, including 7 in custody.

A sixth man, Ashton Evans 20, was found guilty of one count of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts. He was sentenced to nine years in custody.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: “This case is 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.”