A London court has found two men guilty of planning a series of firebomb attacks against properties linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with sentencing scheduled for Friday, June 19, the Clash Report publication reports.
The report states that 27-year-old Romanian citizen Stanislav Carpiuc, who was born in Ukraine, and 22-year-old Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych were found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson. It further notes that the verdicts were delivered following a weeks-long trial at the Old Bailey, which exposed a targeted campaign of harassment and property destruction the previous month.
According to the publication, Lavrynovych was recruited via the Telegram messenger by a Russian-speaking man operating under the pseudonym "El Money." The handler offered financial compensation in exchange for executing firebomb attacks. Lavrynovych was identified as the direct perpetrator of the arsons and was also found guilty of reckless endangerment during the attacks on May 11 and 12.
The third defendant, 35-year-old Ukrainian Petro Pochynok, was accused of being recruited by Karpiuk to assist Lavrynovych in carrying out the attacks. However, the court acquitted him of all charges on Monday.
According to the publication, the arson campaign began with the targeted destruction of a Toyota RAV4 in Kentish Town, north London, which was a vehicle previously owned by the Prime Minister. It further reports that the violence escalated a few days later when the attackers set fire to two residential buildings in the middle of the night, noting that one of the properties, still owned by Starmer, was occupied by his sister-in-law and her family at the time of the incident. Additionally, prosecutors emphasized that the late-night timing and severe nature of the fires had posed a serious and immediate threat to life.
Presiding Judge Neil Garnham remanded Lavrynovych and Carpiuc in custody. The two men are due to be sentenced on Friday.
As previously reported, the charges relate to three fires. Two of the fires occurred in Kentish Town, north London. One took place in the early hours of May 12 at the house where Sir Keir lived before becoming prime minister and moving to Downing Street. Four days prior, on May 8, a car was set on fire on the same street. Another fire occurred on May 11 near the front door of a building converted into flats in Islington.
Lavrynovych was detained on May 13, Carpiuc on May 16, and Pochynok on May 18 on suspicion of involvement in these arson attacks.
