Al-Birr mosque
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BBC: same Russian network coordinated Starmer arson and London anti-Muslim graffiti, using Ukrainians as executors
A BBC and Hope not Hate investigation has concluded that the same Russian agent network coordinated both the 2025 arson of property linked to then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a series of anti-Muslim vandalism incidents in London, recruiting Ukrainians through Telegram for cash. Ukrainian Ilya Bilyk has pleaded guilty to racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage for painting graffiti on mosques and Islamic community premises in east London in January 2025; his sentencing is scheduled for 19 October at Stratford Magistrates' Court.