Indictment in London

Man alleged to have planned attack for Wagner group

Court in London

(Bild: APA/AFP/Daniel LEAL)

A 20-year-old man has been charged in London for allegedly ordering arson attacks for the Wagner mercenary group. The British man is accused of targeting companies with links to Ukraine. For example, an arson attack on a commercial property in East London is said to have been planned.

There are also four other suspects in the case, according to court documents. A 22-year-old man is accused of aggravated arson and receiving a material benefit from a foreign intelligence service. In addition, two men aged 21 and 60 are accused of arson and another 22-year-old of "possessing information about terrorist acts".

Ambassador summoned to the ministry
This is the first indictment under a new security law, which is intended to enable a tougher crackdown on acts such as espionage. "Hostile foreign acts will never be tolerated on British soil," wrote Home Secretary James Cleverly on Platform X. "Our National Security Act enables charges to be brought against individuals accused of carrying out harmful activities for the benefit of the Russian state. If you put the UK's security at risk, you will be brought to justice."

Here you can see the post by Home Secretary Cleverly:

"Deeply concerned"
After the incident became known, the British government summoned the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Office. The UK was "deeply concerned about hostile activities on British soil allegedly orchestrated by Russia", it said. These activities must stop.