LONDON: A British court has convicted two men for a series of arson attacks targeting properties and a car linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
On Monday, a jury in London found Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Romanian citizen Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, guilty of conspiracy to commit arson. The verdict came after a months-long trial held in the British capital.
The attacks took place over a five-day period in May last year and targeted a house Starmer had vacated after becoming prime minister in 2024. Another property he part-owned was also set on fire, along with a vehicle that previously belonged to him.
Authorities have stated there is no evidence that the incidents were sponsored by any hostile state. However, an unverified report released on the same day claimed the attacks were part of a wider campaign of sabotage and disinformation allegedly linked to Russian intelligence services.
Lavrynovych was also found guilty on two additional counts of damaging property by fire and acting recklessly in a way that endangered lives.
A third defendant, Petro Pochynok, 35, was acquitted of conspiracy to damage property by fire.
Prosecutors told the court that Lavrynovych had been instructed in May last year by a Russian-speaking individual to carry out the attacks in exchange for a payment of around $4,000 in cryptocurrency. They said the handler used the alias “El Money” and communicated with him through the messaging app Telegram.
However, no evidence was presented in court to prove that “El Money” was acting on behalf of any state actor, although Counter Terrorism Policing London said the online contact appeared to be trying to create “unrest” in the United Kingdom.
Officials also noted that there is no indication the attackers knew the identity of their target, including that it was the prime minister.
Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said the intention of the online handler was to create fear, both for the victim and for the prime minister, and to generate uncertainty and disruption in the UK.
The two convicted men are scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.
Flanagan added that the objective of the online tasker was clearly to cause fear and instability, both for individuals and more broadly across the country.
It was also reported that the handler requested video footage of the attacks to be shared online in order to gain publicity.
Later reports suggested that an investigation by a public service broadcaster found the operation may have been part of an extensive campaign of sabotage and disinformation linked to the Russian state.
The broadcaster identified “El Money” as a 23-year-old Russian diplomat named Evgeny Lyukshin, alleging he is connected to high-level circles in Moscow.
The Russian embassy rejected the claims, saying it does not support or engage in unlawful activity and insisting that Russia poses no threat to the United Kingdom and has no hostile intentions toward Britain.