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Telegram-Recruited Vandal Pleads Guilty Over Three Mosque Attacks

By Drooid · Sep 17, 2026, 10:50 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Illia Bilyk pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates' Court to five counts of racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage.
He vandalised three east London mosques on 23 January 2025.
A Russian speaker recruited him via Telegram, supplied targets and paid him.
BBC and Hope not Hate linked the graffiti and a June 2026 arson plot to Russia.

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Story summary

Illia Bilyk pleaded guilty at Thames Magistrates' Court to five counts of racially and religiously aggravated criminal damage.
He vandalised three east London mosques on 23 January 2025.
A Russian speaker recruited him via Telegram, supplied targets and paid him.
BBC and Hope not Hate linked the graffiti and a June 2026 arson plot to Russia.