A 20-year-old British man has been charged with masterminding an arson plot against a Ukrainian-linked target in London for Russia and Moscow’s ambassador was summoned by the government, authorities said on Friday.
“Included in the alleged activity was involvement in the planning of an arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked commercial property in March 2024,” the British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement.
The government said it summoned the Russian ambassador to the UK Andrey Kelin “following allegations of Russian orchestrated malign activity on UK soil.”
Photo: Elizabeth Cook / PA via AP
Kelin dismissed the claims of a link to Russia as “absurd” and “unfounded” in a statement sent to Russian state news agency TASS.
Court documents allege that Dylan Earl, from Leicestershire, England, was connected to Russia’s Wagner Group, which the UK has put on its list of “terrorist” groups, the Press Association news agency reported.
He is accused of organizing and paying for an arson attack on two units at an industrial estate in Leyton, east London, on March 20, which required 60 firefighters to bring under control.
The alleged target is referred to as “Mr X” in the charges.
The CPS, which brings prosecutions in England and Wales, said two other men — Paul English, 60, and Nii Mensah, 21 — had also been charged with aggravated arson in connection with the case.
Two other suspects were named.
Jake Reeves, 22, was charged with agreeing to accept a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service, as well as aggravated arson, while Dmitrijus Paulauska, 22, has been charged with having information about terrorist acts, the CPS said.
“While we must let the judicial process run its course, I am deeply concerned by allegations of British nationals carrying out criminal activity on UK soil to benefit the Russian state,” British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Cameron wrote on X. “We will use the full weight of the criminal justice system to hold anyone found guilty of crimes linked to foreign interference to account.”
The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office demanded “an immediate cessation of this activity,” adding that it would “continue to work with our allies to deter and defend against the full spectrum of threats that emanate from Russia.”
In Berlin, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that “unacceptable” Russian-backed plots would not deter the alliance from supporting Ukraine.
Investigators last week arrested two German-Russian men on suspicion of spying for Russia and planning attacks in Germany, including on US army targets, to undermine military support for Ukraine.
Russian officials rejected the claims.
Dominic Murphy, head of London’s Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, which is leading the investigation, said: “This is a highly significant moment and investigation for us.”
“Not only are the charges that have been authorized by the CPS extremely serious, but it is also the first time that we have arrested, and now charged anyone using the powers and legislation brought in under the National Security Act.”
The National Security Act 2023 was designed to respond to “the threat of hostile activity from states targeting the UK’s democracy, economy, and values,” the government said.
All five suspects are to appear at the Central Criminal Court in London on May 10.
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