Two convicted of plot to torch houses linked to UK PM
Two men have been found guilty of a plot by a mysterious Russian-speaking figure to set fire to property linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Fires in May 2025 damaged the house Starmer moved into when he became prime minister, as well as an apartment building he once owned a share in, and destroyed his old Toyota SUV.
No one was injured in the fire.
Roman Lavrynovych, a 22-year-old Ukrainian national, and Stanislav Carpiuc, a 27-year-old Romanian national, were found guilty of conspiracy to damage property by fire. Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted of the charge.
Lavrynovych was also convicted twice of arson with intent to endanger life or recklessly endanger life.
A Russian-speaking individual who goes by the name “El Money” devised this plan and offered Lavrynovych money via the Telegram messaging app to burn down property and obtain video of the evidence that could be posted online to draw attention to the attack.
El Money’s identity was never revealed and he was not charged. The court heard he gave Lavrynovic detailed instructions on targets, how to mix flammable materials and steps to take to avoid being caught.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism team, said there was no evidence to prove a hostile state organized the fires because UK police had not discovered El Money’s motivations or the people he was working with.
He said his “mission was clearly to intimidate the prime minister and attack the UK”.
Lavrynovych said he needed money and admitted to setting the fires, saying he wanted the reward of STG3000 ($A5,695) in cryptocurrency to pay for the medical treatment his father needed.
However, he said he continued down this path because he was threatened by El Money.
Lavrynovych said he had no idea who owned the property until the fires were over and that he did not intend to harm anyone.
After the fires, El Money promised to pay Lavrynovych the money and told the Ukrainian to send him a secret message with the code “geranium” if he was detained by the police. Lavrynovych was detained by police shortly after receiving the message.
The court was told he received no money for setting the three fires.
Carpiuc acted as an intermediary, and Pochynok was allegedly assigned to record video of the fires so that Lavrynovych could receive payment.
The fires were started in the middle of the night, and residents sleeping in the homes awoke to smoke billowing from their front doors.
Starmer’s sister-in-law, who lives at home, heard a loud explosion and said she had trouble breathing as smoke filled the stairs. His nine-year-old daughter was very scared.
One of the residents of the apartment building retreated to the roof when he noticed that the corridors were filled with smoke.
