Arson gang hired to burn down warehouse linked to Ukraine did not get paid by Russia as the attack was not up to Wagner Group's 'standards', court hears
The terrorist group conducting a sabotage campaign on behalf of Russian intelligence allegedly recruited a group of British men to set fire to a warehouse in Leyton, East London, destroying over £100,000 worth of equipment, including generators and vital satellite equipment destined for Ukraine.
Today the Old Bailey heard that while the ringleader Dylan Earl, 20, had grand plans to do 'something big' for the Kremlin, boasting he could build 'a link' between the Wagner Group, IRA and notorious Kinahan crime cartel, his first mission failed to impress Russian handlers.
Days before the blaze, a Wagner Group operative told Earl to watch a Cold War drama about KGB spies as a 'manual' for his mission, it was said.
The Wagner contact known only by his Telegram handle 'Privet Bot' recommended watching the television series The Americans, about KGB agents undercover in the US, 'in order to understand work'.
He allegedly told Earl: 'The idea is like that. You need to organise partisan cells in the country and in Europe and think of a name for your movement. We'll give you support...
'Watch this series. It will be your manual. You'll have a source of funding through organising arsons.'
Privet Bot also messaged Earl asking: 'Hello friend, how are you, do you have any friends among hooligans or acquaintances in the IRA?'
'Do you have access to firearms?'
Four men accused of carrying out the arson attack, Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnius Asmena, 20, Nii Mensah, 23 and Paul English, 61, were told to live stream it to Earl so he could report back to the Russians on the success of the 'mission'.
But unlike the KGB drama, in real life the arsonists made a series of errors, forgetting to film the attack and having to return to the scene where they were captured on CCTV and Rose dropped a knife with his DNA on it, jurors heard.
One member of the gang, Jake Reeves, 23, from Croydon, South London, who has already admitted his part in the conspiracy, later complained they 'didn't do it to Wagner standards.'
'They were supposed to make it burn.. but they just ran in there,' he said.
Two days after the attack, Earl admitted he was 'waiting on payment still, apparently it'll land today but it's nowhere near the amount because they didn't burn the whole thing.'
Mensah allegedly complained about not being paid saying: 'Bro it's f****** burnt. We did some damage. U said u will pay on consider damage. Just be reasonable.'
He added: 'Bro how u want us to do another job without getting paid. Just pay for the warehouse. Idk [I don't know] why ur stalling 1k.'
The blaze at 11.40pm on March 20 last year started with a jerry can of petrol caused more than £1 million in damage to the premises, which was targeted because of its connection to Ukraine, with the warehouse being used to store StarLink satellite equipment and humanitarian aid bound for the war zone.
The court heard that the 'architect' of the scheme, Earl had grand ambitions to 'build a link' between the IRA, Kinahans and Russia boasting: 'We have direct connection to the Kremlin, we can do something big.'
Earl and Reeves have already admitted their involvement in the arson plot and a separate plan to set fire to businesses in Mayfair, west London, kidnapping the Russian dissident owner on behalf of the Wagner Group.
Prosecutor Duncan Penny, KC, told jurors: 'This was deliberate and calculated criminality - at the behest of foreign influence.
'In the case of these defendants at the time of the fire they may have been ignorant of that influence and the motive may have been financial - good old-fashioned greed.
'For others, however, it appears to have been both political and ideological.'
Rose, of Croydon, Asmena, of no fixed address, Mensah, of Thornton Heath and English, of Roehampton, all deny aggravated arson.
The case continues.
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