LONDON — Three foreign nationals appeared in a British courtroom Wednesday facing charges they were recruited by a Russian-speaking individual to torch properties belonging to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in exchange for payment.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson informed the court that Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Petro Pochynok, 35, both Ukrainian citizens, along with Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, participated in a series of fires that occurred in London during a five-day period from May 8-12 of last year.
The trio faces conspiracy to commit arson charges, while Lavrynovych faces additional counts of property damage by fire with intent to endanger lives. Police investigators have identified Lavrynovych as the individual who actually started all three fires. All defendants have entered not guilty pleas.
“Three fires in the same area within five days would be pretty unusual. However, three fires all involving property linked to the same person were beyond a coincidence,” Atkinson stated during court proceedings.
According to the prosecution, the first incident involved a Toyota vehicle that was intentionally ignited during the early morning hours of May 8 in north London’s Kentish Town neighborhood. This was followed by house fires on May 11 and May 12.
Atkinson explained that both residential fires were started using comparable materials and “were set in the dead of night, when the occupants of the addresses would inevitably have been asleep,” suggesting the perpetrators intended to put lives at risk.
The targeted vehicle had previously been owned by Starmer, while the Ellington Road residence was managed by a business where the prime minister had served as both director and shareholder. The second home on Countess Road housed Starmer’s sister-in-law and remains under his ownership.
The prosecutor told jurors these attacks were “planned and directed, with those involved promised payment for their participation.” Evidence shows Lavrynovych received instructions and payment offers through the Telegram messaging platform from someone using the alias “El Money.”
Both house fires forced residents to flee for safety, according to testimony. During the May 11 incident, a top-floor tenant was awakened around 3 a.m. by smoke odors, discovered smoke-filled hallways, experienced breathing difficulties, and escaped to the roof.
The following night, Starmer’s sister-in-law heard loud noises around 1 a.m. and witnessed smoke pouring through her front door and up the stairway. She also had trouble breathing, while her 9-year-old daughter became “very frightened” during the ordeal.
Atkinson instructed the jury that determining the defendants’ motivations was unnecessary for their deliberations, noting it “does not matter whether they knew that the property they were targeting was connected to the prime minister or whether that formed part of their motivation.”
Investigators recovered over 320 messages between Lavrynovych and “El Money” dating back to September 2024, though Atkinson told jurors they should not concern themselves with the identity of “El Money” or their reasons for recruiting individuals to conduct these attacks. The court was not informed about the specific payment amounts offered or whether anyone sustained injuries in the fires.
