Third man charged over fires at homes linked to PM

A third man has been charged as part of an investigation into alleged arson attacks at properties connected to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, police have said.

Ukrainian national Petro Pochynok, 34, from north London, was charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, the Metropolitan Police said.

Two other men, Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, have also been charged in connection with the fires.

Mr Pochynok is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later this morning.

The charges relate to three incidents: a vehicle fire in Kentish Town, a fire at the prime minister’s private home on the same street, and a fire at an address where he previously lived in north-west London.

Mr Pochynok was arrested on Monday in Chelsea, south-west London, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

He is accused of conspiring together with Mr Lavrynovych, Mr Carpiuc, “and others unknown to damage by fire property belonging to another”, the police said.

Mr Lavrynovych, also a Ukrainian national, has already been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life.

He appeared in court on Friday and did not enter any pleas to the charges. He denied the charges in a police interview.

Mr Carpiuc, who was born in Ukraine but has Romanian nationality, was also charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, and appeared in court on Tuesday.

The three men have been remanded in custody until the next scheduled hearing at the Old Bailey in London on 6 June.

The incidents are being investigated in a inquiry led by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command because of the connection with a high-profile public figure, the force said in a statement.

On Thursday 8 May, a car the prime minister sold to a neighbour last year caught fire on the Kentish Town street where he lived before moving to Downing Street.

In the early hours of Sunday 11 May, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house converted into flats in nearby Islington – a property Sir Keir lived at during the 1990s.

One person had to be rescued by firefighters who were using breathing apparatus.

The following day, in the early hours of Monday 12 May, police were alerted by the London Fire Brigade to reports of a fire at the prime minister’s private home.

Damage was caused to the property’s entrance but nobody was hurt. The BBC understands the property is rented to Sir Keir’s sister-in-law.