British man accused of plotting arson attacks in London on behalf of Russia

A British man has been charged with plotting arson attacks on Ukraine-linked businesses in London after allegedly being recruited as a Russian spy.

David Earl, 20, is accused of being the mastermind behind a huge fire on an industrial estate in Leyton, east London, on March 20.

Four other men – Paul English, Nil Mensah, Jake Reeves and Dmitrijus Paulauska – have also been charged in connection with the case.

According to court documents, Earl is accused of being linked to the ascribed terror group Wagner.

The private military company gained notoriety for its brutality in Ukraine, before its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led an armed rebellion in June last year that appeared to be targeting Moscow before it was called off.

if(window.adverts) { adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_mobile_top"}) } if(window.adverts) { adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet"}) }

Earl, from the tiny Leicestershire village of Elmesthorpe, is alleged to have targeted businesses which were linked to Ukraine in order to benefit the Russian state, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

He is also accused of undertaking fraudulent activity, research and reconnaissance of targets, and attempting to recruit individuals to materially assist a foreign intelligence service carrying out UK-related activities.

It took more than four hours for 60 firefighters to tackle the March 20 fire at the Staffa Road industrial estate.

The details of the case, which have been withheld for national security reasons, can be reported today for the first time.

More Trending

Captain Tom's daughter puts home on the market for £2,250,000 (spa not included)

Clarks employee who worked at same shop for 68 years sacked with two days notice

Why is it so cold in the UK right now and when is it going to get warmer?

Major supermarket delivery service down with customers left without any shopping

Read More Stories

A CPS statement said: ‘Included in the alleged activity was involvement in the planning of an arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked commercial property in March 2024.

‘Two further men, Paul English, 60, and Nii Mensah, 21, have also been charged with aggravated arson in connection with this case.

‘Another man, Jake Reeves, 22, has been charged with agreeing to accept a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service as well as aggravated arson.

Latest London newsMajor update on condition of two horses that rampaged through LondonHow Heathrow airport strikes could threaten your bank holiday travel plansYou can buy a basement flat in South London for just £5k — but you'll need a shovel

To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk's London news hub.

‘A fifth man, Dmitrijus Paulauska, 22, has been charged with having information about terrorist acts.’

This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

if(window.adverts) { adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_mobile_mid"}) } if(window.adverts) { adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_mid"}) }

Sign Up for News UpdatesGet your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and moreSign up

Privacy Policy

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.