Two more people have been charged in connection with an investigation into a Russian-inspired arson attack on a Ukrainian business in London.
The Met Police said Jakeem Barrington Rose, 22, of Croydon, and Ugnius Asmena, 19, from Wandsworth, have both been charged with aggravated arson.
Rose was further charged with two counts of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and a private place, the police said.
They were arrested on Thursday August 1.
They join four other defendants who have been charged in connection with the blaze at an industrial unit in Leyton, east London, on March 20, which needed 60 firefighters to bring it under control.
Co-defendant Dylan Earl, 20, is accused of orchestrating arson attacks on behalf of the Wagner Group, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation.
Commander Dominic Murphy, Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, which is leading the investigation, said: “While these are very serious allegations, I want to reassure the public that we do not believe there to be any wider threat to them in connection with this matter. This investigation remains ongoing, but now that charges have been brought about I would urge everyone to respect the criminal justice process and not to speculate or comment further in relation to this case.”
In April police announced the Crown Prosecution Service had authorised charges for offences under the National Security Act - the first brought under the legislation introduced in Dec 2023.
Four other men were charged with a series of offences including aggravated arson and assisting a foreign intelligence service.
Earl, of Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, is charged with aggravated arson, preparatory conduct to an act endangering life or a person or an act creating a serious risk to the health and safety of the public in the United Kingdom contrary to section 18 of the National Security Act 2023, and assisting a foreign intelligence service contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act 2023.
Dmitrijus Paulauska, 22, from Croydon, who is on conditional bail, is accused of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts.
Jake Reeves, 22, from Croydon, is accused of aggravated arson and accepting cash knowing it was from a foreign intelligence service.
Nii Mensah, 21, of Thornton Heath, south London, is charged with aggravated arson.
A pre-trial plea hearing has been set for 4 October with a trial expected to begin at the Old Bailey in June 2025.
The foreign state to which these charges relate is Russia. It is alleged Earl was in contact with a handler in the Wagner Group before carrying out reconnaissance of targets “in relation to activity intended to benefit Russia”.
It is claimed that Earl recruited and paid others to carry out the arson attack on Ukrainian-linked businesses owned by Oddisey and Meest UK.
The Wagner Group, whose former leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash last summer, is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.
