British Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves No.10 Downing Street on April 20. Two men were convicted of setting fire to a vehicle and two properties linked to Starmer. File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
June 15 (UPI) — A British jury on Monday found two men guilty of conspiring to commit arson on property linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Roman Lavrynovych, 22, a Ukrainian national, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, a Ukrainian-born Romanian national were convicted on charges of committing arson while being reckless of human life, The New York Times reported.
A third man suspected in the case, Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted of the charges.
Lavrynovych said he was recruited online by someone on Telegram with the username “El Money.” He said the Russian-speaking person offered him money to carry out the acts of arson, the BBC reported.
The arson attacks targeted a vehicle and two houses — owned or previously used by Starmer — over the course of five days in May 2025. During the trial, Lavrynovych said he didn’t know who Starmer was and just “wanted some additional money.”
The Times reported that the same Telegram account also recruited Lavrynovych to spray paint anti-Muslim slogans on mosques in London and put up advertisements for Direct Action U.K., a far-right group.
The three men charged in the case denied working together.
