Two foreign nationals have been found guilty of plotting to damage property linked to Sir Keir Starmer in an arson attack last year.
Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Romanian Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were found guilty at the Old Bailey this afternoon, after targeting two properties and a car linked to the Prime Minister in May 2025.
The men, who live in London, were charged with conspiring together and "with others" to damage property by fire between April 1 and May 13 last year.
A Toyota previously owned by Sir Keir was set alight on May 8 in a street where he once lived in Kentish Town, north London, with Lavrynonych admitting to starting the fire.
Three days later, two homes were torched, including one rented out to Sir Keir's sister-in-law Judith Alexander, which he still owned, in Islington.
During the trial, Carpiuc told the Old Bailey that his friend Lavrynovych carried out the first alleged arson attack for "money' - and that he had tried to persuade him not to do it.
The prosecution told the court Lavrynovych carried out the arson attacks after being recruited online by Russian-speaking Telegram user "El Money" who promised him payment.
Lavrynovych had wanted money by May 10 to pay for his father's medical treatment, Carpiuc told the jury.
Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 22, (left) and Romanian Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, (right) were found guilty at the Old Bailey this afternoon
|MET POLICE
Sir Keir's sister was reportedly inside the Islington property with her family when it was set alight by Lavrynovych.
The attacks in the middle of the night while people were in bed asleep "posed a serious threat to life and left householders terrified", the Old Bailey heard.
The Old Bailey jury deliberated their verdict for seven-and-a-half hours this afternoon.
A third man, Petro Pochynok, 35, was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit arson.
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Beyond plotting to damage property, Lavrynovych was also convicted of damaging two properties by fire being reckless as to whether life was endangered on May 11 and 12 last year.
Mr Justice Garnham remanded the defendants into custody to be sentenced on Friday.
The true identity of El Money, who the court heard had threatened Lavrynovych to commit the attack, remains a mystery - but Lavrynovych said he believed him to be "powerful" with political connections.
Previously, El Money had tasked him to paint racist graffiti on an Islamic community centre, and post anti-Muslim fliers around for money.
Two properties and a car linked to the Prime Minister were targeted in May last year
|COUNTER TERRORISM POLICE
The anonymous Russian speaker had offered Lavrynovych £3,000 in cryptocurrency if the blazes were filmed and got on the news.
Following the convictions, Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said there was nothing to indicate El Money was a "state threat".
However, the motivation behind the attacks had been to "cause concern" and "disruption" in the community within the UK and "fear" for the Prime Minister, she said.
Sir Keir's sister-in-law, who lived in one of the torched homes with her partner and daughter, said in a statement: "All of a sudden I heard two bangs. It was very loud and sounded like two wheelie bins had been thrown at the door."
"I did not see anyone on the street but when I looked down I saw smoke and an orange glow where the front door was."
As thick smoke crept upstairs, Ms Alexander said she had tried to call her sister Victoria, the Prime Minister’s wife, and described her fear at the thought of "what might have happened" had she not woken up.
CTP commander Ms Flanagan said the two defendants had acted as criminal proxies for El Money, and issued a warning to anyone else tempted by "easy cash".
She said: "Be under no illusion that if we identify you being involved in an attack within the UK, we will focus our investigation, you will be brought to justice very quickly, and you are likely to face a very lengthy prison sentence as a result of that."