Two British men have been accused of assisting Russian intelligence services after a suspected arson attack on a Ukraine-linked company in London.
Dylan Earl, 20, from Elmesthorpe in Leicestershire, and Jake Reeves, 22, from Croydon, were under investigation following a fire at a warehouse in east London in March.
Three other suspects connected to the fire were arrested on other charges.
The investigation is being led by Met Police counter-terrorism officers.
Mr. Earl is accused of overseeing the company’s targeting plan, attempting to recruit individuals to provide material support to a foreign intelligence agency, and engaging in fraudulent activity and arson.
Mr. Reeves is accused of accepting money even though he knew it came from a foreign intelligence service.
The investigation relates to a major fire that broke out in an industrial estate on Staffa Road in Leyton in March and was started by an accelerant such as petrol, according to prosecutors.
The charges do not indicate who owns the affected companies, but Companies House records show they are two parcel delivery services: Oddisey and Meest UK.
They belong to Mykhaylo Prykhodko, also known as Mikhail Boikov, and his wife Jelena Boikova, both of whom live in London.
Nick Price, head of the CPS’s special crime and counter-terrorism unit, said of Mr Earl: “The alleged activities included involvement in the planning of an arson attack on a Ukraine-linked commercial property in March 2024.”
He said Mr. Earl “allegedly engaged in conduct that targeted companies linked to Ukraine to benefit the Russian state.”
Mr. Earl and Mr. Reeves are the first people to be charged under a new law designed to update and modernize the crimes of espionage, sabotage and foreign interference.
At the time of its adoption, the government said it was designed to strengthen the UK’s defenses against hostile activities by states “targeting the democracy, economy and values of the UK”.
The full charges against Mr Earl are:
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Preparing to perform an act that endangers the life of any person or poses a serious threat to the safety of the public and is contrary to section 18 of the National Security Act 2023
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Supporting a foreign intelligence service contrary to section 3 of the National Security Act 2023
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Serious arson
The full charges against Mr Reeves are:
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Obtaining a material advantage from a foreign intelligence agency violates Section 17 of the National Security Act, 2023
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Serious arson
Mr Earl appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week, but for legal reasons BBC News was unable to report on it until today.
The couple is accused of being involved in the plan along with three other men. The three others were arrested as part of the investigation but were not charged under the national security law.
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Dmitrijus Paulauska, 22, was charged with failing to disclose information about terrorist acts to police, an offense under the Terrorism Act 2000
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Nii Mensah, 21, from Thornton Heath, south London, has been charged with aggravated arson
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Paul English, 60, from Roehampton, south-west London, has been charged with aggravated arson
All five are scheduled to appear at the Old Bailey on May 10.