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Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
Six on trial over London arson attack linked to Wagner Group in alleged €1m Russian plot
LONDON, June 5 — Six men went on trial on Wednesday over an arson attack that prosecutors say was carried out on behalf of Russia's Wagner mercenary group on a business in London involved in shipping goods to Ukraine. The warehouse units torched in March last year on an industrial estate in east London belonged to Oddisey, a company that delivered packages and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including satellite equipment from Elon Musk's Starlink. Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Paul English, 61, Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, Jakeem Rose, 23, and Ugnius Asmena, 20, deny charges of aggravated arson. Dmitrijus Paulauskas, 23, and Ashton Evans, 20, deny knowing about terrorist acts but failing to disclose the information. Prosecutor Duncan Penny told London's Old Bailey court that the arson was criminality 'at the behest of foreign influence'. He said it was organised by Dylan Earl, who was 'knowingly acting at the behest of the Wagner Group', banned by Britain as a terrorist organisation. Last October, Earl admitted aggravated arson and also pleaded guilty to preparing conduct for acts which endangered life under a new National Security Act (NSA), brought in to crack down on hostile activity by foreign states. 'It appears that Dylan Earl expressed a willingness to undertake 'missions' of which the Leyton arson attack was the first. It is apparent that (he) knew he was acting against Ukrainian, and for Russian, interests,' Penny said. Another man, Jake Reeves, 23, pleaded guilty in November to charges of aggravated arson and admitted a charge under the NSA of obtaining a material benefit from a foreign intelligence agency, meaning he accepted taking money from Wagner that was to be provided by Russian security services, Penny said. He said Earl and Reeves were also involved in a plot to carry out arson attacks on the Hedonism wine shop and Hide restaurant in the upmarket Mayfair district of London, together valued in excess of £30 million (RM170 million). Penny said the plot also involved kidnapping the owner, a high-profile Russian dissident and vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had personally driven aid trucks from Britain to Ukraine. In messages to the two men shown to the court, Earl said the target should be brought to him so he could be 'exhiled (sic) to Russia to face prison'. In recent years, British authorities have accused Russia or its agents of being behind a number of spy plots and sabotage missions in Britain and across Europe. The UK's domestic spy chief said Russian operatives were trying to cause 'mayhem'. The Kremlin has denied these accusations, and its embassy in London has rejected any part in the warehouse fire, saying the British government repeatedly blames Russia for anything 'bad' that happens in Britain. Wagner Wagner had been heavily engaged in the earlier part of Russia's war effort in Ukraine, until its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin led a short-lived mutiny against Russia's defence establishment in 2023. Penny said the jury would hear expert evidence that the group and its activities, which included sabotage in Europe, were now under the direct command of the Russian government. He told the court the six men on trial might have been ignorant of the political dimension and motivated by greed over the warehouse blaze, which led to an insurance claim estimated at over £1 million. The jury was shown messages between the men which Penny said showed their involvement, as well as footage from security cameras and their own phones which he said showed the men travelling to the warehouse and starting the fire with petrol. The trial, which is due to last up to five weeks, continues. — Reuters
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Four men ‘torched Ukrainian-owned firm in UK on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group'
FOUR men accused of torching a Ukrainian-owned firm in the UK did so on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group, a court has heard. Goods including Starlink satellite equipment were being sent out to Advertisement Around £1million in damage was caused when it was set alight in Leyton, East London, in March last year. Paul English, 61, Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, Jakeem Barrington Rose, 23, and Ugnius Asmena, 20, are said to have started the blaze. The Old Bailey was told that CCTV placed them driving to the scene in English's Kia Picanto. Jurors heard Rose and Mensah were seen climbing a wall to approach the warehouse, while Mensah also livestreamed the arson. Advertisement READ MORE ON UKRAINE WAR Prosecutor Duncan Penny, KC, said they were paid agents motivated by 'good old-fashioned greed'. He added: 'They did not act alone . . . they were recruited by and directed by two others who have since admitted their role in the aggravated arson. 'This was deliberate and calculated criminality at the behest of foreign influence.' Mr Penny said 'they may have been ignorant' that they had been recruited on behalf of the Vladimir Putin-controlled Advertisement Most read in The Sun The four deny aggravated arson. The trial continues. Full devastation of Op Spiderweb revealed as new pics show Putin's jets in RUINS after drone blitz 1 Four men accused of torching a Ukrainian-owned firm in the UK did so on behalf of the Putin-controlled Wagner Group, a court has heard Credit: AP
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Four men ‘torched Ukrainian-owned firm in UK on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group'
FOUR men accused of torching a Ukrainian-owned firm in the UK did so on behalf of Russia's Wagner Group, a court has heard. Goods including Starlink satellite equipment were being sent out to Kyiv from the targeted industrial estate unit. Around £1million in damage was caused when it was set alight in Leyton, East London, in March last year. Paul English, 61, Nii Kojo Mensah, 23, Jakeem Barrington Rose, 23, and Ugnius Asmena, 20, are said to have started the blaze. The Old Bailey was told that CCTV placed them driving to the scene in English's Kia Picanto. Jurors heard Rose and Mensah were seen climbing a wall to approach the warehouse, while Mensah also livestreamed the arson. Prosecutor Duncan Penny, KC, said they were paid agents motivated by 'good old-fashioned greed'. He added: 'They did not act alone . . . they were recruited by and directed by two others who have since admitted their role in the aggravated arson. 'This was deliberate and calculated criminality at the behest of foreign influence.' Vladimir Putin -controlled Wagner Group. The four deny aggravated arson. The trial continues. Full devastation of Op Spiderweb revealed as new pics show Putin's jets in RUINS after drone blitz 1
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Glasgow Garden Festival fountain found in pile of rubbish
It was one of the centrepieces of Glasgow's much loved garden festival more than 40 years ago. Now the Children of Glasgow fountain from the popular 1988 event has been found - buried and seemingly forgotten under a heap of rubble and dirt on Glasgow City Council property. The discovery has prompted calls for it to be restored to its former glory and given a prominent place in the city. Many other artefacts from the five-month long festival are considered lost, while others were repurposed elsewhere, including as far afield as Wales. More stories from Glasgow & West Scotland More stories from Scotland Journalist and broadcaster Paul English spotted the fountain at Bellahouston Park while working on another story and instantly recognised it. He told BBC Scotland News: "I could see this object, so I went to have a look. "I knew it was the fountain because I've written a lot about the festival in recent years and knew it was out there but not where it was. "There was no talk that it was under rubbish. You'd think it was being stored and looked after, which it clearly is not." The sculpture, designed by Michael Snowdon, was previously found in the same area while covered in weeds in 2022 by Lex Lamb, who runs the After the Garden Festival website that aims to track down relics and artefacts from the event. The item was originally sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, and featured the bank logos around it. Glasgow City Council said it does not own the fountain, but took on responsibility for storing it in the years since the event. Mr English said the sculpture - which was located in the festival's water and maritime zone - looked more like it was in a skip than anything else. Mr Lamb told BBC Scotland News it was shocking to see the fountain "wilfully neglected" He said: "Some bodies in the past, like the Sculpture Placement Group, who successfully found a location for Neil Livingstone's Spirit of Kentigern, have demonstrated that there are cases of excellent public sculpture being abandoned in council stores." Other artefacts have travelled far and wide, including the Coca-Cola rollercoaster being sold to a theme park in Suffolk and the Clydesdale Bank Anniversary Tower going to Rhyl in Wales, while the giant irises now stand by a roundabout in Glenrothes. Mr Lamb and others with a keen interest in the city's history - including the MSP Paul Sweeney - hope to bring artefacts like the fountain back into use in Glasgow. He said: "Ideally, I'd like to see the fountain operating again in a public site within Glasgow. It'd be great if this could be at or close to its original location between the BBC building and the science centre. "If this proves to be impossible it would simply be worthwhile to see it anywhere where it can be enjoyed again, fully-functioning or not, by the people of Glasgow." Sweeney, who has regularly spoken about Glasgow's need to preserve its heritage, said: "It's a shame that the striking sculptural Children of Glasgow Fountain has been left to languish in a council storage depot at Bellahouston Park. "After it was brought to my attention by Lex a couple of years ago, I have been trying to get this relic reinstalled near its original location at Pacific Quay, where I think it would make an excellent centrepiece on the plaza." The festival, which was opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, is often cited as being influential in Glasgow's revitalisation as a cultural hotspot. It attracted around 4.3 million visitors during the five months it took over the banks of the river Clyde. Mr English said he felt the event now strikes a "nostalgia sweet-spot" for people, a sentiment Mr Lamb agreed with. He added: "It was the pivot of a remarkable ten years for a city which was then trying to get to grips with its own future. "Additionally, it was a forward-looking glimpse of a cosmopolitan and more colourful vibe to Glasgow that we take for granted now. "And it was international, in a way that was novel - at a time when the concept of a tourist in Glasgow was the punchline to a joke." A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "The remnants of the Children of Glasgow fountain is stored at Bellahouston Nursery. "At this time, there are no plans or available funding to install the fountain anywhere across our estate." Your pictures: The Glasgow Garden Festival Archaeologists hunt for traces of Garden Festival
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Glasgow Garden Festival fountain found in pile of rubbish
It was one of the centrepieces of Glasgow's much loved garden festival more than 40 years ago. Now the Children of Glasgow fountain from the popular 1988 event has been found - buried and seemingly forgotten under a heap of rubble and dirt on Glasgow City Council property. The discovery has prompted calls for it to be restored to its former glory and given a prominent place in the city. Many other artefacts from the five-month long festival are considered lost, while others were repurposed elsewhere, including as far afield as Wales. More stories from Glasgow & West Scotland More stories from Scotland Journalist and broadcaster Paul English spotted the fountain at Bellahouston Park while working on another story and instantly recognised it. He told BBC Scotland News: "I could see this object, so I went to have a look. "I knew it was the fountain because I've written a lot about the festival in recent years and knew it was out there but not where it was. "There was no talk that it was under rubbish. You'd think it was being stored and looked after, which it clearly is not." The sculpture, designed by Michael Snowdon, was previously found in the same area while covered in weeds in 2022 by Lex Lamb, who runs the After the Garden Festival website that aims to track down relics and artefacts from the event. The item was originally sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, and featured the bank logos around it. Glasgow City Council said it does not own the fountain, but took on responsibility for storing it in the years since the event. Mr English said the sculpture - which was located in the festival's water and maritime zone - looked more like it was in a skip than anything else. Mr Lamb told BBC Scotland News it was shocking to see the fountain "wilfully neglected" He said: "Some bodies in the past, like the Sculpture Placement Group, who successfully found a location for Neil Livingstone's Spirit of Kentigern, have demonstrated that there are cases of excellent public sculpture being abandoned in council stores." Other artefacts have travelled far and wide, including the Coca-Cola rollercoaster being sold to a theme park in Suffolk and the Clydesdale Bank Anniversary Tower going to Rhyl in Wales, while the giant irises now stand by a roundabout in Glenrothes. Mr Lamb and others with a keen interest in the city's history - including the MSP Paul Sweeney - hope to bring artefacts like the fountain back into use in Glasgow. He said: "Ideally, I'd like to see the fountain operating again in a public site within Glasgow. It'd be great if this could be at or close to its original location between the BBC building and the science centre. "If this proves to be impossible it would simply be worthwhile to see it anywhere where it can be enjoyed again, fully-functioning or not, by the people of Glasgow." Sweeney, who has regularly spoken about Glasgow's need to preserve its heritage, said: "It's a shame that the striking sculptural Children of Glasgow Fountain has been left to languish in a council storage depot at Bellahouston Park. "After it was brought to my attention by Lex a couple of years ago, I have been trying to get this relic reinstalled near its original location at Pacific Quay, where I think it would make an excellent centrepiece on the plaza." The festival, which was opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, is often cited as being influential in Glasgow's revitalisation as a cultural hotspot. It attracted around 4.3 million visitors during the five months it took over the banks of the river Clyde. Mr English said he felt the event now strikes a "nostalgia sweet-spot" for people, a sentiment Mr Lamb agreed with. He added: "It was the pivot of a remarkable ten years for a city which was then trying to get to grips with its own future. "Additionally, it was a forward-looking glimpse of a cosmopolitan and more colourful vibe to Glasgow that we take for granted now. "And it was international, in a way that was novel - at a time when the concept of a tourist in Glasgow was the punchline to a joke." A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "The remnants of the Children of Glasgow fountain is stored at Bellahouston Nursery. "At this time, there are no plans or available funding to install the fountain anywhere across our estate." Your pictures: The Glasgow Garden Festival Archaeologists hunt for traces of Garden Festival
