Peter K., an architect by profession, was detained in October 2023 while staging a historical battle involving Vikings. He attended the event wearing combat uniform with Wagner Group patches and symbols. He became aggressive, brandished a knife and threatened participants, and was detained, the BBC reported.
On Friday, a London court sentenced him to two-and-a-half years in prison and an additional year of supervision for claiming to be a member of a banned terrorist organization. The Wagner Group was listed in September 2023 and it has been an offense to be a member of or support them in the UK since then.
Great Britain: Poles claimed to be members of the Wagner Group. he was convicted
Witnesses said that at the Vikings event, Poles told them he had joined Wagner's group and fought as part of the organization in Ukraine. Prosecutors said the suspect repeated the claims in several Facebook posts and messages sent to friends.
Peter K. pleaded guilty to the crimes he was charged with in August. During the hearing, he wore “symbols associated with far-right ideology and white supremacy,” the statement said.
The man said he only pretended to be part of Wagner's group in order to “produce a reaction” from the staged participants over a disagreement over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
'He wanted to cause fear' British prosecutors say about Polish's actions
Anti-terrorism police officials said there was no evidence to suggest the man was actually a member of Wagner's group or was fighting in Ukraine. However, he stressed that impersonating a member of a banned organization is a serious crime.
– Peter K. claimed that he fought for the Wagner Group as part of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and that it was guided by its extremist views and reputation as a terrorist organization to intimidate people and instill fear in others – Attorney General Frank Ferguson said. Counter-terrorism department.
Stay informed and become one of over 200,000 users. Follow our fan page – Like Interia Events on Facebook and comment on our articles there!
Sikorsky on “Guest of the Event”: Working with allies to decide what to do with Lavrov/Porsat News/Porsat News
