Three men have been convicted of carrying out a deliberate arson attack on a London warehouse that supported Ukraine, in an operation linked to Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group.
Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnius Asmena, 20, and Nii Mensah, 23, were found guilty at the Old Bailey of aggravated arson with intent to endanger life. The fire, which destroyed a unit that supplied humanitarian aid and satellite internet equipment to Ukraine, caused around £1 million in damage.
The attack, which took place in east London on 20 March 2024, was orchestrated by Dylan Earl, 20, and Jake Reeves, 23. Both men had previously admitted their roles in planning the arson on behalf of the Wagner Group, a Russian state-aligned military organisation proscribed by the UK as a terrorist group.
A fourth defendant, 61-year-old Paul English from Roehampton, was acquitted.
CCTV footage and a FaceTime livestream from Mensah’s phone captured him and Rose pouring petrol on the warehouse doors and setting them alight. The video was sent in real-time to Earl and Reeves. As the fire spread, a nearby lorry driver attempted to extinguish the flames but was unsuccessful. Eight fire crews and 60 firefighters responded to the scene.
During their escape, Rose dropped a large knife, later found to contain his DNA. Mensah subsequently messaged Reeves, referring to the knife by saying, “L9 left his Rambo at the scene.”
Prosecutors said the warehouse was deliberately targeted due to its role in sending aid, including Starlink satellite devices, to Ukraine. David Cawthorne of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counter-terrorism division called it a "targeted attack" connected to the site’s support for Ukraine.
Further evidence revealed that Earl had been in contact with a Wagner Group associate via Telegram, offering to carry out a series of attacks. The warehouse fire was described as the first in a planned series of operations. Additional plots included arson attacks and a kidnapping attempt targeting Evgeny Chichvarkin, a wealthy Russian dissident and outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, who owns high-value businesses in London’s Mayfair.
Earl conducted reconnaissance and discussed using explosives in the potential attacks. He is the first individual convicted under the UK’s National Security Act, passed in 2023 to counter hostile state threats.
In related verdicts, Ashton Evans of Newport was convicted of failing to disclose information related to terrorist activity but acquitted in connection to the warehouse arson. Another man, Dmitrijus Paulauskas of Croydon, was cleared of similar charges.
Commander Dominic Murphy of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command said the case demonstrates how foreign state-linked organisations use UK-based individuals to carry out serious criminal acts. He warned, “These convictions should serve as a strong deterrent to anyone considering acting on behalf of a hostile foreign power.” Photo by 2s3m akatsiya, Wikimedia commons.