Ukrainian Man in Court for Arson Linked to U.K. Prime Minister

A 21-year-old Ukrainian man was arraigned in London for allegedly setting fires at two properties and a vehicle tied to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He remains in custody pending further proceedings.

A Ukrainian man has appeared in London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with arson related to properties owned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Roman Lavrynovych, age 21, was arrested earlier this week and faces three counts of arson with the intention of endangering life following incidents occurring in North London.

Dressed casually in a gray tracksuit, Lavrynovych only spoke briefly in court, using an interpreter to confirm his identity. Prosecutor Sarah Przybylska mentioned that the car and both residential properties involved in the fires were directly linked to Starmer, though the motivations behind the alleged offences remain unclear.

Lavrynovych has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear at London’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, on June 6. Reports indicate that one of the fires started on the front doorstep of Starmer’s former family home in Kentish Town, with another at a property in Islington, where Starmer lived during the 1990s, and a third incident involving a vehicle fire.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported from these incidents; however, the damage sustained to the doorway of the rented Kentish Town residence was significant. This investigation has been escalated to be led by counterterrorism police considering the implications of targeting a prominent political figure.