Two British men were recruited by Russia‘s Wagner Group to firebomb a Mayfair restaurant and kidnap its owner after carrying out a £1million arson attack on a warehouse with equipment bound for Ukraine, a court has heard.
The terrorist group conducting a sabotage campaign on behalf of Russian intelligence is said to have recruited two men to set fire to a warehouse in Leyton, East London, destroying over £100,000 worth of equipment, including generators and vital Starlink satellite equipment destined for Ukraine.
The Old Bailey heard that the blaze at 11.40pm on March 20 last year was livestreamed on Facetime to the ‘architect’ of the plot who then reported back to the Russians on the success of the ‘mission’.
The attack was orchestrated by Jake Reeves, 23, and Dylan Earl, 20, from Leicestershire who went on to plan an arson attack on a restaurant and wine business in Mayfair by kidnapping the owner of the businesses.
The owner of the Hide Restaurant and Hedonism Wines, which were valued at over £30million and employed 200 people, was described as a ‘high profile dissident’ and ‘refugee’ who was open about his criticism of Putin, the court heard.
The duo planned to kidnap him in a bid to ‘influence the Government’ to further ‘a political and ideological cause’, jurors were told.
Their kidnapping and arson plot was unearthed after a group of men, who were supposedly enlisted by Reeves and Earl, stood trial on allegations of setting a east London warehouse storing Ukrainian bound equipment alight.
Prosecutor Duncan Penny, KC, said: ‘Acting at the behest of the Wagner Group, [Earl] planned a similar arson attack on two businesses – a wine shop called Hedonism and a restaurant called Hide – in West London.
Jake Reeves (pictured left) and Dylan Earl orchestrated an attack on satellite equipment bound for Ukraine before planning an arson on a restaurant in Mayfair, a court heard
Inside Hide Restaurant Mayfair. Reeves and Earl planned to set fire to the firm and kidnap its owner
The blaze at the warehouse was live streamed on Facetime to the ‘architect’ of the plot, the court was told
‘The businesses belong to a high-profile Russian dissident and refugee who has been vocal in his criticism of president Putin and the war in Ukraine. He has, for example, driven aid trucks from the UK to Ukraine personally.’
Mr Penny added: ‘You might think that it is self-evident that these actions were designed to influence the government and to intimidate at least a section of the public and furthermore were made for the purpose of advancing a political and ideological cause.’
Both have also already admitted aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group and an offence under the National Security Act, jurors heard.
They also have admitted the separate plot to set fire to the firms in west London, as well as to kidnapping their owner on behalf of the Wagner Group.
On Wednesday the four men who were allegedly recruited to carry out the attack, Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnius Asmena, 20, Nii Mensah, 23 and Paul English, 61, went on trial accused of aggravated arson.
Mr Penny 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.’
Mr Penny said the warehouse was targeted because of its connection to Ukraine, with the premises also being used to store humanitarian aid bound for the war zone.
A court sketch of Jake Reeves appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court in central London on April 26, 2024
The fire started by a jerry can of petrol caused more than £1million in damage to the buildings, with eight fire crews battling to bring it under control.
The driver of a lorry parked nearby tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire which was started within 10metres of houses, but no one was hurt in the attack.
Earl, described as the ‘architect’ of the plot, was said to have knowingly acted at the behest of the Wagner Group, a proscribed terrorist organisation ‘under the direct command of the Russian government’.
The Briton contacted the Wagner Group on the encrypted social media application Telegram expressing a willingness to undertake ‘missions’ of which the Leyton arson attack was the first, Mr Penny said.
‘It is apparent that Dylan Earl knew he was acting against Ukrainian, and for Russian, interests,’ he told jurors.
‘The reason for the selection of this building as a particular target in East London in March of last year appears to have been its connection to Ukraine.’
The warehouse housed a logistics company which was frequently delivering goods to Ukraine, including StarLink satellite equipment.
Reeves only discovered afterwards the motive for the attack but was ‘still prepared to agree to accept money from a foreign intelligence service in respect of further planned offences,’ the court was told.
Mr Penny said the four alleged arsonists ‘may have been ignorant of that influence’, but acted out of ‘old-fashioned greed’.
Both have already admitted aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group and an offence under the National Security Act, jurors heard
The group were captured on CCTV with Rose seen pouring a jerry can of petrol onto the doors of the warehouse units and setting them alight, jurors heard.
Mensah is alleged to have filmed the blaze with a mobile telephone, livestreaming it to Earl.
The court heard that there is ‘overwhelming evidence’ against the defendants, including a knife with Rose’s DNA dropped at the scene.
Following the attack, Mensah allegedly messaged Earl saying: ‘Bro there was bare smoke… You saw it on Face Time.
He added: ‘Bro lol it’s on the news… we dun damagees (sic).’
Rose, of Croydon, Asmena, of no fixed address, Mensah, of Thornton Heath and English, of Roehampton, have denied aggravated arson.
The case continues.
