London court convicts 2 men of plot to torch 2 houses and a car linked to UK prime minister

LONDON (AP) — Two men were convicted Monday of a plot last year to set fire to property linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The fires in May 2025 damaged the home Starmer moved out of when he became prime minister, as well as an apartment building he once owned a share of and destroyed his former Toyota SUV. Nobody was injured in the blazes.

Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Stanislav Carpiuc, a 27-year-old Romanian citizen, were found guilty of a conspiracy to damage property by fire. Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted of the charge.

Lavrynovych was also convicted of two counts of committing arson with intent to endanger life or recklessly endangering life.

A Russian-speaking figure who went by the name “El Money” hatched the scheme and offered Lavrynovych money through the Telegram messaging app to torch the properties and get video of the evidence that could be posted online to draw attention to the attack.

El Money’s identity was never revealed and he was not charged. The court heard how he gave Lavrynovych detailed instructions on the targets, how to mix flammable substances and steps to avoid being caught.

Lavrynovych said he needed money and admitted he set the fires, saying he wanted the bounty of 3,000 pounds ($4,000) in cryptocurrency to pay for medical treatment his father needed.

But he said he only followed through because he had been threatened by El Money. He said he had no idea who owned the property until after the fires and said he didn’t intend to hurt anyone.