Six men are currently standing trial in London for allegedly torching a business that supplied communications equipment to Ukraine in an attack believed to have been orchestrated by Russia’s paramilitary Wagner group.
The arson, which occurred on March 20, 2024, at an industrial estate in Leyton, East London, caused approximately £1 million in damage and required around 60 firefighters to extinguish.
The targeted business, Oddisey, was involved in organising humanitarian aid for Ukraine and exporting critical communications equipment, including SpaceX’s StarLink satellite systems.
The six defendants—Dylan Earl (20), Jake Reeves (22), Nii Mensah (22), Paul English (61), Jakeem Rose (22), and Ugnius Asmena (20)—face charges of aggravated arson under the National Security Act of 2023.
This case marks a significant legal milestone, as it’s the first time individuals have been charged under this new legislation, as stated by Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, in November 2024.
Credit: BBC
Earl and Reeves have already pleaded guilty to aggravated arson, admitting to acting at the behest of the Wagner group.
Prosecutor Duncan Penny told the Old Bailey that these two men are accused of plotting to recruit the others to set fire to the warehouse, an act described as “deliberate and calculated criminality—at the behest of foreign influence.”
Earl is believed to be the “architect” of the attack, having communicated with the UK-designated “terrorist” organisation Wagner via Telegram.
Penny indicated that “Dylan Earl expressed a willingness to undertake ‘missions,’ of which the Leyton arson attack was the first,” and that he “knew he was acting against Ukrainian and for Russian interests.”
The prosecution also revealed that Earl and Reeves had planned further actions, including attacking a central London restaurant and kidnapping its owner, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The remaining four defendants—Mensah, English, Rose, and Asmena—have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Mensah allegedly filmed the arson attack on his phone and live-streamed it via FaceTime.
Additionally, two other men, Ashton Evans (20) and Dmitrijus Paulauskas (23), have been charged with two counts of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, which they deny.