UK summons Russian envoy after two Brits were charged with helping Russia in suspected arson attack

Britain’s foreign ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador to London, on Friday (Apr 26) after two British men were charged with helping Russian intelligence services after a suspected arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked commercial property in London.

Russian ambassador summoned

Britain’s foreign office said that it summoned Russia’s ambassador in London over accusations that Moscow “orchestrated malign activity” on United Kingdom soil hours after two British men had been charged with helping Russian intelligence services.

“The UK remains deeply concerned by allegations of Russian orchestrated malign activity on UK soil, as well as the wider reported pattern of behaviour we are witnessing on the part of the Russian Federation to sponsor such activity on the territory of other, sovereign states,” said the foreign office spokesperson in a statement.

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Britain’s Foreign Minister David Cameron said he was “deeply concerned” by the allegations in the case. “We will use the full weight of the criminal justice system to hold anyone found guilty of crimes linked to foreign interference to account,” he said in a post on X.

About the charges

In a statement on Friday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that it authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge a British man with “conducting hostile activity in the UK in order to benefit a foreign state – namely Russia.”

Dylan Earl, 20 and Jake Reeves, 22 were under investigation after a large fire broke out on an industrial estate in London, which according to the prosecution was started using an accelerant such as petrol.

The investigation, which is being led by Met Police counter-terror officers, also found three other suspects linked to the suspected arson attack and are being held on other charges.

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The 20-year-old who has been accused of recruiting others for an arson attack appeared at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday (Apr 20), 10 days after being arrested under the National Security Act 2023.

Earl, according to court documents, was charged with two offences under the National Security Act over “activity likely to benefit Russia”.

Nick Price, head of the CPS special crime and counter terrorism division, said that Earl “Included in the alleged activity was involvement in the planning of an arson attack on a Ukrainian-linked commercial property in March 2024.”

Paul English, 60, and Nii Mensah, 21, who appeared in court on Monday, and Reeves, who was in court on Friday have been charged with aggravated arson.

The 22-year-old has also been charged with “agreeing to accept a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service,” according to Price.

Another 22-year-old, Dmitrijus Paulauska, and the fifth person linked to the case, has been charged with “having information about terrorist acts,” according to the CPS. All five are next expected to appear in court at the Old Bailey on May 10.

(With inputs from agencies)