Sentencing the men, a judge at the Old Bailey said they had planned a campaign of terrorism and sabotage in the interests of the Russian state. Dylan Earl was handed 17 years and a further six years on extended licence for his leading role. Jake Reeves, from Croydon in south London, was given 12 years in prison with one year on extended licence. The offences they admitted made them the first to be convicted under the National Security Act 2023.
We're seeing an increasing number of who we would describe as proxies' being recruited by foreign intelligence services, and these arrests are directly related to our ongoing efforts to disrupt this type of activity, said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of counterterrorism policing in London.
British police arrest three over alleged Russia-linked spying, as Lithuania and Latvia uncover sabotage plots. British police have arrested three people suspected of running sabotage and espionage operations for Russia. The detentions on Thursday east of London mark the latest in a string of espionage allegations that Moscow has been recruiting people to engage in attacks and spying across Europe.
