Charges brought against two more in Wagner-linked warehouse arson

Charges have been brought against two more individuals in connection with the arson attack on a warehouse in eastern London, where aid for Ukraine was stored, the London Metropolitan Police reported on Saturday. The Russian mercenary group Wagner is suspected of organising the arson.

According to the British police, 22-year-old Jakeem Barrington Rose and 19-year-old Ugnius Asmena have been charged with intentional arson, and the former has also been charged with two counts of possessing an offensive weapon.

Previously, five other individuals were charged in this case. They were charged, among other things, under the National Security Act adopted last year, which aims to prosecute individuals secretly working in the United Kingdom for hostile states.

The indictment concerns "activity that could benefit Russia." The main suspect, 20-year-old Dylan Earl, is the first Briton to be charged with acting on behalf of the Wagner Group.

It is believed that the arson of the warehouses, which occurred on 20 March in Leyton, eastern London, was the first attack organised by the Wagner Group on British territory. It was intended as a "message" from Russia, signifying that aid for Ukraine would be met with "punishment."

Eight fire engines and approximately 60 firefighters worked for about four hours to extinguish the fire at two warehouses belonging to a Ukrainian logistics company.

The arson was allegedly carried out by Earl, who recruited a team of four men for this purpose. Two of them, who - it is believed - were unaware that he was acting on behalf of the Wagner Group, were only charged with arson. At the same time, the third was also charged with accepting money from a foreign intelligence service, and the fourth was charged with failing to disclose information about terrorist acts to the police.

All five appeared before the court for a preliminary hearing in May of this year. The court set the trial date for June next year.