Two sentenced in London arson plot tied to Starmer properties

A London court has sentenced two men over arson attacks on property linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, including homes in the capital and a car he once owned. Prosecutors said the attacks were carried out for money after contact with a Russian-speaking Telegram user, raising concern about who directed the plot.

At the Old Bailey on Friday, Judge Neil Garnham sentenced Roman Lavrynovych, a 22-year-old Ukrainian national, to seven years in prison. Stanislav Carpiuc, a 27-year-old Romanian national who was born in Ukraine, received a two-year sentence.

Garnham described Lavrynovych as a “useful idiot” and a “pawn” for an “unknown cause” that endangered lives. Addressing him in court, the judge said: “You agreed to carry out this mindless piece of arson for money. You were not a man of great principle, and you were easily bought.”

Overnight fires in May 2025

The case centred on overnight attacks in May 2025 against London properties connected to Starmer, according to prosecutors. One target was Starmer’s former home, where his sister-in-law and her family were living, and another was a Toyota car previously owned by the prime minister.

A jury convicted both men on Monday of conspiring to damage property by fire after a trial at the Old Bailey. Lavrynovych, whom prosecutors said started all three fires, was also convicted of two counts of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Prosecutors said the two men were not driven by a stated political cause and that money was the motive. They said Carpiuc encouraged and supported Lavrynovych, while Lavrynovych carried out the fires.

Telegram account at centre of case

Prosecutors said the men were offered payment by a Russian-speaking figure using the name “El Money” on Telegram. The court heard that El Money communicated with Lavrynovych in Russian and Ukrainian.

Lavrynovych told the court he did not know who the targets were, according to the case presented at trial. Prosecutors showed messages in which El Money told him to leave the United Kingdom after the attacks on the home “of a very high-ranking individual in Britain.”

Prosecutors did not identify who was behind the El Money account or what organisation, if any, directed it. The BBC reported that El Money is “a young Russian diplomat” who is 23 and “the son of a senior official.”

UK police said there was no specific evidence connecting the two defendants to Russia. The Russian embassy in London denied Russian involvement and said Moscow did not pose a threat to the United Kingdom’s security.

Police and Starmer respond

Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said after the verdicts that the person behind the plot wanted to “create fear.” She also said there was no evidence that El Money was a “state threat.”

Starmer welcomed the convictions after the jury returned its verdicts. He said the attacks should be viewed in a wider context, citing Ukraine’s performance in the war and the effect of Western sanctions on Russia.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.