Starmer's house set on fire: 21-year-old Ukrainian suspect detained in the UK
Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
A 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen has been detained in the United Kingdom on suspicion of involvement in a series of arson attacks, including the fire at Prime Minister Keir Starmer's home in London. The suspect has already been formally charged, BBC reports.
According to London police, Ukrainian citizen Roman Lavrynovych was charged on Thursday with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life.
The young man was arrested on Tuesday, May 13, in southeast London. He is scheduled to appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court tomorrow, May 16.
The charges against Lavrynovych relate to three incidents:
- A car fire in Kentish Town, north London,
- A fire at the private residence of the Prime Minister on the same street,
- And a fire at an address in northwest London where he previously lived.
British authorities also stated that the investigation was led by the Counter Terrorism Command due to the connection of one of the incidents with a high-profile individual.
Arson cases linked to Starmer in London
On May 12, a fire broke out at the home of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the capital. Police said no one was injured in the incident.
The fire occurred at a house in Kentish Town (London), where Starmer had lived before becoming Prime Minister. He has since moved to 10 Downing Street.
London police reported that the entrance to the residence was damaged in the fire. It is known that the property was being rented out at the time.
Four days earlier, on May 8, a car associated with Starmer was set on fire on the same street.
On May 11, London firefighters extinguished a small fire near the entrance of a converted apartment building in a neighboring district — Islington. According to British military sources, Starmer lived there in the 1990s.
On May 13, it was reported that a 21-year-old man had been arrested in London on suspicion of setting fire to a property linked to Starmer. He may have thrown a Molotov cocktail into the building.
On May 14, it was reported that British police are investigating the possible involvement of a "hostile state" in the arson incident.
