Ukrainian, Romanian nationals convicted for arson targeting UK PM
REUTERS/Paul Sandle
A London court has convicted a 22-year-old Ukrainian and a
27-year-old Romanian of conspiring
to set fire to property and a car linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, The
Guardian reported
on June 15.
“Roman Lavrynovych, 22, from Ukraine, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, from Romania, were found guilty at the Old Bailey on Monday,” the report said.
“Another Ukrainian man, Petro Pochynok, 35, was cleared of the same charge.”
Sentencing is scheduled for June 19, and both men remain in custody.
Prosecutors said the defendants were involved in fires at a car and two houses linked to Starmer. One of the houses previously belonged to the prime minister; at the time of the incident his daughter-in-law and her family were living there.
Jurors heard that the alleged attacks were commissioned by an anonymous Russian-speaking agent using the alias “El Money.” The prosecution said Lavrynovych was promised GBP3,000 ($4,000) in cryptocurrency to arrange the fires, record them on video, and publicize the footage on social media.
Lavrynovych was separately convicted of damaging property by fire through recklessness about the potential risk to life. He was acquitted of two counts of arson with intent of endangering life.
London police said they found no ideological motive in the
defendants’ actions. Helen Flanagan, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan
Police’s counterterrorism unit, said investigators have seen no evidence that
the men knew who the targets were or that the properties were connected to the
prime minister.
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