Two men have been found guilty of conspiring to carry out arson attacks on a car and two homes linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, attacks carried out after one of them was recruited online by a Russian-speaking Telegram user known as “El Money”.
Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Ukrainian-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were convicted by an Old Bailey jury after a trial that heard how a Toyota once owned by Sir Keir was set alight on a street in north London in May 2025. Days later, two homes were set ablaze, including one rented out to the prime minister’s sister-in-law, which he still owned. She was inside with her family when Lavrynovych lit the fire at the entrance to the Kentish Town property on 12 May 2025.
“Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc convicted of conspiring to burn a car and homes linked to Sir Keir Starmer.”
Lavrynovych was acquitted of a more serious charge of damaging property by fire with intent to endanger life but convicted of alternative counts of damaging property by fire being reckless as to whether life was endangered. Carpiuc was also convicted of conspiracy to commit arson. A third man, Petro Pochynok, 35, was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit arson. All three had denied conspiring together and with others between 1 April and 13 May 2025.
The prosecution told the court that Lavrynovych was recruited online by a Russian speaker using the alias EL, whom he saved in his phone as “El Money”. He had previously been tasked by the same contact to put up far-right posters, but never received the thousands he was promised for the arson attacks. After the final arson on 12 May, “El Money” sent messages including “there is news, you’ll get crypto” and “you need to throw away the clothes”, offering advice to “leave the city”.
Prosecutors told jurors it was “no part of your considerations” to decide who “El Money” was or his motivation. The defendants were said not to have demonstrated any particular political or ideological motivation, and it did not matter whether they knew the properties were connected to the prime minister.
The verdicts come as pressure mounts on Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership. Bookmakers have named Labour’s Andy Burnham as the red-hot favourite to become the next prime minister, with odds suggesting it is highly unlikely that Starmer will lead his party into the next general election.