Ukrainian man found guilty of setting property linked to UK PM Starmer on fire
LONDON - A Ukrainian man was found guilty on Monday of carrying out arson attacks on property connected to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in May last year on behalf of a mystery figure he knew only as "EL Money".
Over five days last May, police were called to fires at a house in north London connected to Starmer, another at a property nearby where he had previously lived, and to a blaze involving a Toyota car that also once belonged to the British leader.
Roman Lavrynovych, 22, was found guilty at London's Old Bailey Court of two counts of committing arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He was acquitted of two counts of committing arson with intent to risk life.
Lavrynovych and Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, who was born in Ukraine, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson. Fellow Ukrainian Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted of the same charge.
They will be sentenced on Friday.
The jury was told Lavrynovych had been offered payment to carry out arson attacks by an account on Telegram, which used the name "EL Money".
EL Money contacted him in both Russian and Ukrainian. Prosecutors did not state who or what entity was believed to be behind the account.
"It is no part of your considerations to decide who 'EL Money' is and what reason he might have had to co-ordinate the actions of these defendants against these properties and this car associated with the prime minister," prosecutor Duncan Atkinson said at the start of the trial.
Helen Flanagan, head of counter-terrorism policing in London, said there was no evidence Russia was behind the attacks.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Sarah Young and Joe Bavier)
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.
This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 7:41 AM.