Britain charges 2 men with aiding Russian intelligence

A new British national security law has been used to charge two Britons for allegedly aiding Russian intelligence after a suspected arson attack on a Ukraine-owned warehouse in London.

Dylan Earl, 20, from Leicestershire was also charged with aggravated arson and preparatory acts endangering a person’s life or creating a serious risk to public safety contrary to the 2023 National Security Act while Jake Reeves, 22, from London was charged with aggravated arson and receiving payment from a foreign intelligence service, Met Police said in a news release.

Earl was remanded in custody by magistrates to appear at the Old Bailey on May 10.

Reeves and Dmitrijus Paulauska, 22, also from London, who is charged with failing to disclose information to police about terrorist acts under counter-terrorism laws, were due in court Friday.

The investigation, led by the Met Police’s counter-terror unit, also netted two other suspects, both from London, who have been charged with aggravated arson but are not being prosecuted for national security offenses.

“This is a highly significant moment and investigation for us. Not only are the charges that have been authorized by the Crown Prosecution Service 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,” said Counter Terrorism head Commander Dominic Murphy.

The Met confirmed that the foreign state involved was Russia but stressed it did not believe there was a wider threat to the public.

The charges follow a major five-week Met investigation into a huge, late-night blaze at commercial premises on an east London industrial estate in Leyton in March, started, the prosecutors say, with an accelerant.

Eight fire trucks surrounding stations attended with 60 firefighters battling for more than four hours to bring the blaze under control, the London Fire Brigade said in a March 20 update.

The industrial units targeted were occupied by two parcel delivery services that public records show are owned by two Ukrainian expatriates.