A UK court on May 12 convicted two men of conspiring to set fire to a house and a car linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The attacks occurred over five days in May 2025, targeting a home Starmer vacated upon becoming prime minister in 2024, a jointly owned property, and a former car of his.
A London jury found Ukrainian citizen Roman Lavrynovych (22) and Romanian citizen Stanislav Carpiuc (27) guilty of arson conspiracy. Lavrynovych was also convicted of two counts of arson with intent to endanger life. A third man, Petro Pochynok (35), was acquitted of conspiracy to commit arson.
Prosecutors said Lavrynovych was directed by a Russian-speaking handler, using the alias 'El Money' on Telegram, who paid about $4,000 in cryptocurrency for the attacks. However, there was no evidence that 'El Money' acted on behalf of a hostile state.
London's counter-terrorism police said the online mastermind sought to cause 'instability' in the UK. 'The clear intention of the online tasker was to create fear for the victim and the prime minister, to destabilise the UK,' said Helen Flanagan, head of London's Counter Terrorism Command. She added there was no evidence the attackers knew they were targeting the prime minister.
On the same day, the BBC reported its investigation found the attacks were part of a 'large-scale campaign of sabotage, provocation and lies leading to the Russian state.' The BBC identified 'El Money' as Evgeny Lyukshin, a 23-year-old Russian diplomat alleged to have close ties to Moscow's highest echelons of power.
The Russian Embassy in the UK denied the allegations, stating it 'rejects any attempts to link Russia or its Foreign Ministry with illegal activities' and insisted Russia has no 'aggressive intentions' toward the UK. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the BBC report. The two defendants are expected to be sentenced on May 16.
